The Future Is Now Film Series
The World According to Monsanto
Wed, Aug 12, 5pm
Teatro Santa Ana
Biblioteca Pública
Insurgentes 25
50 pesos

See the food safety czar
By Georgeann Johnson

Michael Taylor

Since The World According to Monsanto was last shown, a lot has been happening in the world and in San Miguel. Our local “Green community” has been flowering and our environmental community is busy with new energy. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that we are very close to the one-year anniversary when genetically modified (GMO) seed corporations were allowed legal entry into Mexico. Many people still have not learned about the dangers of transgenic fields and foods.

This documentary is the tale of Marie-Monique Robin, an investigative journalist in France, who interviews scientists, farmers and professors to dig into the background of Monsanto, the largest of the biogenetic engineering corporations.

As Monsanto is the giant in the field of biotech corporations, it is the centerpiece of the film. Unlike simply hearing about GMO foods, this film brings the whole picture into focus. GMO is not just a food choice—biotech corporations, under NAFTA, can gobble up farms and countries and endanger the whole food system. The real issue is about food security—who owns it, who controls it, who threatens it.

Even if you have seen this film before, you might want to see it again as a main character, Michael Taylor, is back in the news. Believe it or not, Taylor is President Obama’s recently chosen candidate to be the food safety czar! (After you see Taylor in action, it won’t be hard to connect the dots.)