Monsanto Company- World's Largest Genetically Modified Food Producer

Monsanto Company is an American mutlinational agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation which was founded in 1901 by John Francis Queeny. It is headquartered in St. Louis in Missouri and the leading producer of genetically engineered seed. Monsanto was among the first companies to genetically modify a plant cell and also the first to conduct field trials of genetically modified crops.

Despite the company's success, its history is full of the following controversies, which are only a few of the many related issues:

• One of the probably most shocking facts about Monsanto Company is its production of herbicides, especially of Agent Orange, which was used during the Vietnam War (1961-1971). It contained the highest levels of dioxin and contaminated more than three million civilians and servicemen. As a consequence, nearly 500,000 children were born deformed and never compensated. 
• Monsanto Company was also ordered to pay 41.1 million $ due to hazardous waste dumping.
• It operated a nuclear facility for the U.S. government until the late 1980s.
• The company is among the top ten U.S. chemical companies. 

As Monsanto regularly deals with the U.S. government, it has to comply with FDA (the U.S. Food and Drug Administration) food and drug safety regulations and it also receives federal funding for research. This leads to the the company's high levels of  involvement with federal agencies. Several people working for Monsanto have attached themselves to state-level politicians and have successfully taken up high-level posts in the government. The following examples illustrate this fact:

• In 2009, the Obama administration appointed Michael Taylor, a precious vice president of Monsanto and current Monsanto lobbyist, as senior advisor to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner. After serving a year as an advisor, he was named the Deputy Commissioner of Foods for the FDA- a boom for Monsanto.
• Roger Beachy, the Director of the Danforth Plant Science Center (a Monsanto affiliate), was appointed by the Obama administration  as the Director of the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). NIFA focuses on funding research and innovation in agriculture  and also has the abilty to grant or reject agricultural research grants. This presents another advantage for Monsanto which will most likely result in favorable consideration for themselves during their pursuit of government research grants.
• Margaret Miller, who worked as a Monsanto researcher, contributed to a scientific report for the FDA on Monsanto's genetically engineered bovine growth hormone during the time she worked for the company. Shortly before the report was submitted, she left Monsanto to work at the FDA, where she had to review the same report. The FDA accepted Monsanto's findings, which then became the basis for its approval of Monsanto's genetically engineered bovine growth harmone. 

Again, these examples are unfortunately only a few of the appointment of people to high-federal posts. As this is development is unlikely to stop any time soon, it seems as if Monsanto will have great power influence on the American Agriculture and food policies.