Monsanto controls top positions in FDA, is the FDA effective at protecting citizens?

NAME	MONSANTO JOB	GOVERNMENT JOB	ADMIN
Toby Moffett	Monsanto Consultant	US Congessman	D-CT
Dennis DeConcini	Monsanto Legal Counsel	US Senator	D-AZ
Margaret Miller	Chemical Lab Supervisor	Dep. Dir. FDA, HFS	Bush Sr, Clinton
Marcia Hale	Director, Int’l Govt. Affairs	White House Senior Staff	Clinton
Mickey Kantor	Board Member	Sec. of Commerce	Clinton
Virginia Weldon	VP, Public Policy	WH-Appt to CSA, Gore’s SDR	Clinton
Josh King	Director, Int’l Govt. Affairs	White House Communications	Clinton
David Beler	VP, Gov’t & Public Affairs	Gore’s Chief Dom. Polcy Advisor	Clinton
Carol Tucker-Foreman	Monsanto Lobbyist	WH-Appointed Consumer Adv	Clinton
Linda Fisher	VP, Gov’t & Public Affairs	Deputy Admin EPA	Clinton, Bush
Lidia Watrud	Manager, New Technologies	USDA, EPA	Clinton, Bush, Obama
Michael Taylor	VP, Public Policy	Dep. Commiss. FDA	Obama
Hilary Clinton	Rose Law Firm, Monsanto Counsel	US Senator, Secretary of State	D-NY Obama
Roger Beachy	Director, Monsanto Danforth Center	Director USDA NIFA	Obama
Islam Siddiqui	Monsanto Lobbyist	Ag Negotiator Trade Rep	Obama

A Monsanto executive told The New York Times that the safety of genetically engineered foods was the government’s problem, not the company’s:

“Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food,” said Phil Angell, Monsanto’s director of corporate communications. “Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the FDA’s job.”

As Angell implies, Monsanto’s interest in selling as much genetically engineered food as possible is in direct conflict with the government’s responsibility for food safety.

Monsanto has induced politicians to abdicate their responsibility to protect consumers through generous campaign contributions and heavy lobbying.

The most telling evidence that Monsanto’s strategy has been an overwhelming succes is the number of former Monsanto employees who have been given jobs in the FDA and other regulatory agencies that monitor Monsanto’s products.

Margaret Miller is just one example. While working as a Monsanto researcher, she contributed to a scientific report for the FDA on Monsanto’s genetically engineered bovine growth hormone. Shortly before the report was submitted, Miller left Monsanto to work at the FDA, where her first job was to review the same report! Assisting Miller was another former Monsanto researcher, Susan Sechen.

Needless to say, the FDA accepted Monsanto’s findings, which became the basis for its approval of Monsanto’s genetically engineered bovine growth hormone and its decision not to require labels on milk produced through the use of the artificial hormone.

The FDA official who made the decision not to label Monsanto’s milk was Michael Taylor, who had worked as a lawyer for Monsanto. Today, Michael Taylor is in the Obama Administration, in charge of food safety.

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