One of the early ‘miracles’ of genetic engineering was the Flavr-Savr tomato. The edited gene enabled the tomatoes to be picked at peak ripeness and then the ripening process would be stopped and the tomato would be yummy. As always with genetic engineering, there were unforeseen complications. When the first year Flavr-Savr tomato crop in 1994 was shipped to supermarkets across the USA they arrived in terrible condition. Nobody had tested them on a road journey. The slightest vibration on the truck journey and the tomatoes became inedible mush. What to do?
The entire tomato crop was harvested, pureed and canned in an attempt to cut the horrendous losses. Now who would buy the cans? No American supermarket would touch the stuff, but Safeway and Sainsbury’s bought the lot. The cans were proudly labelled ‘Made with Genetically Engineered Tomatoes’ and sold at 2/3 of the price of Italian non-GMO tomato puree. It was great PR for GMOs: ‘Wowser! thought the consumer - these GMO tomatoes are going to knock loadsamoney off my grocery bill, so I’ll have more to spend on necessities like beer, fags and cheap disposable clothing!’
Calgene, who launched the Flavr Savr, went bust and taken over by Monsanto. Around the same time the introduction of GMOs into Europe was a done deal. Directorate General Agri, or ‘DG Agri,’ the EU Commission department (who really decide what the rules are in the rotten and corrupt Common Agricultural Policy) had already promised the biotech barons they needn’t worry.
When we realised what was happening Richard Austin of Rainbow Wholefoods organised the wholefood wholesalers and retailers to dig in their heels against GMOs. With the Soil Association we lobbied to require that GMO ingredients be labelled. As Safeway and Sainsbury’s had already proudly done it on front of pack, this was a relatively easy win and DG Agri let it pass, not realising it was a fatal strategic mistake until too late. GMOs were dead in the water. If a consumer saw ‘Genetically Engineered’ on the label they would put it back on shelf, no matter how cheap.
In September 1999 Patrick Holden and I met with the top people of Monsanto under the auspices of the Environment Council. Monsanto wanted to understand how everything had gone so horribly wrong with their planned GMO blitzkrieg into Europe.
Patrick and I explained organic principles and how they were at total variance with the ideas of genetic modification. I kept a note of the meeting that included this line:
This opening exchange was the first and most fundamental revelatory experience for them. They had never really understood these most basic organic principles.
It was appalling how little they understood about organics. Once they realised what an obstacle to the rollout the organic world represented they took us seriously.
Subsequently there has been an extended campaign of disinformation about organic food running with various fallacious arguments: we would have to cut down rain forests to get the extra land to grow organically; e.coli O157:H7 in lettuces is higher in organic food; organic farmers use terrible pesticides; GMOs are safer than organic; you can’t trust organic certification.
Forbes Magazine was a good vehicle for this kind of crap. Dr. Henry I. Miller has written about how organic food is a ‘deceitful, expensive scam’ and ‘the colossal hoax of organic agriculture.’ Forbes finally fired him when they found out one of Miller’s articles was written by Monsanto. Miller helped Philip Morris organise a global campaign against tobacco regulations and wrote that nuclear radiation is good for your health. He wrote a blistering attack on the World Health Organisation when they pronounced Roundup a ‘probable carcinogen.’
Burson Marsteller are the PR company that Monsanto use whenever they have an environmental disaster - they are expert at making bad stuff look ok. And at making good stuff look bad. When there was an anti-GMO demo in Washington they hired, for a $25 honorarium, counter-protestors with signs saying: ‘Biotech Saves Children’s Lives.’
There’s a well organised misinformation campaign out there about how you can’t trust organic certification. Meanwhile the Soil Association has been asked by China to certify organic producers there because of its globally-respected integrity. A leading oats supplier sued the Soil Association, backed by Defra and another certification body, because the Soil Association refused to accept documentation on oats that tested for pesticide residues at levels well above ‘spray drift.’ Now all certification bodies must sample for pesticides and have the right to reject products that fail the test. Belt and Braces. Food You Can Trust.
