The World According to Monsanto: Pollution, Corruption, and the Control of the World's Food Supply

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The World According to Monsanto: Pollution, Corruption, and the Control of the World's Food Supply

4.17 of 5 stars 4.17 · rating details · 255 ratings · 53 reviews

Hailed as a truly eye-opening view of how American business-as-usual really works” by the Daily Kos and an alarming and uncompromising investigation” by Le Monde, The World According to Monsanto charts award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker Marie-Monique Robin’s three-year journey across four continents to uncover the disturbing practices of the multinational

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Hardcover, 352 pages

Published June 1st 2010 by New Press, The (first published January 1st 2009)

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The World According to Monsanto by Marie-Monique Robin

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Oct 09, 2012 Emil rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'll try to be as concise as I can be: this book is outstanding. Sure, it's not the best stylistic read in the whole world, cause let's be honest, this is mostly about learning facts, stories and statistics. It's not a Ryszard Kapuściński book, to make it clear. But that's why it's so good: the book gives you everything it promises and what it stands for. Everything (or at least, a clear small side of the story) about Monsanto is in here, but what I really liked about it was that inside so many...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Shomeret rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: environment, health, my-reviews

I discovered how far back Monsanto's history with products that damage the environment and health goes. I had thought that they began corrupting our government starting with the first Bush administration, but the corruption too goes further back than I had guessed. This is a company with terrifying ambitions. Considering how wide ranging their harm has been, everyone can probably count themselves as victims of Monsanto.

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Jun 28, 2009 Isil rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: france, document, xxie

J’ai mis énormément de temps à lire cette enquête sur l’entreprise Monsanto, version papier du reportage diffusé sur Arte il y a quelques temps. J’ai en effet un énorme défaut, lorsque je lis ce genre de chose, je suis tous les liens donnés. Ca ne facilite pas la lecture. Celui qui a déjà lu 64 pages en anglais sur le suicide des agriculteurs en Inde comprendra ma douleur. En outre, je n’ai jamais pris autant de notes. C’est un sujet qui m’intéresse puisque je suis fille d’agriculteur et que les...more

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Mar 07, 2012 Jodi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: health-books

In a nutshell, Monsanto has immense power and is accountable to no-one. They have exposed us all to PCBs, herbicides, dioxins and bovine growth hormones while being fully aware of the harmfulness of these substances. It's profit at any price.

As one quote in the book says, Monsanto is, 'A calmly arrogant company heedlessly profiting from the suffering of victims and the destruction of ecosystems.'

Monsanto knew that PCBs were harmful way back in 1937. They have falsified studies and concealed the...more

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Feb 06, 2011 Marzie rated it 4 of 5 stars

A harrowing look at the monopolization and monoculturization of our food supply by Monsanto. The book, companion to the equally harrowing film, will make you question everything that you have ever heard from Monsanto about both their intentions and the safety of their products, whether chemical or genetically engineered. Fined again and again for fraud, for bribery, and for negligence, it is simply extraordinary that the revolving door of Monsanto employees entering public service at the FDA, US...more

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Jul 04, 2010 Christopher Rex rated it 4 of 5 stars

Highly relevant investigative journalism into a company that many probably have no idea who they are (Roundup is their most common product, if you are wondering). Monsanto is one of the sketchiest companies ever. This book examines its ultra-sketchy past (Agent Orange and rBGH being 2 of their more notorious product) and the increasing amount of control they are obtaining over the world's food supply through the use of Genetically-Modified seeds (and highly potent herbicides & insecticides)....more

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Dec 30, 2011 Jeff rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book efficiently and compellingly lays out the record of atrocities perpetrated by Monsanto and their ilk, from the role they played in the development and promotion of Agent Orange, to the insidious and ongoing power grab on the global food supply.

The only downside of this book is that it could have discussed the commonalities between the profit-driven, anti-democratic behavior of Monsanto and other multinationals, however this might fit better in a sequel...

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Oct 20, 2012 Carey Shea rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: food safety, toxins, Agent Orange, PCBs, BSTs, Roundup

Recommended to Carey by: Amazon

Shelves: non-fiction

I have a personal interest in this book since my father and stepmother worked there their whole careers. Monsanto was really good to them and got great retirement packages out of working there. I tried to recommend it to them but my responce from my Dad was "Not at all interested. It's a hatchet job by a flaming liberal. Naturally. Daily Kos would like it because it fits their anti- American anti- capitalist agenda." As you can tell he is a serious Republican and sees things like that as lies. I...more I have a personal interest in this book since my father and stepmother worked there their whole careers. Monsanto was really good to them and got great retirement packages out of working there. I tried to recommend it to them but my responce from my Dad was "Not at all interested. It's a hatchet job by a flaming liberal. Naturally. Daily Kos would like it because it fits their anti- American anti- capitalist agenda." As you can tell he is a serious Republican and sees things like that as lies. I told him I was going to read the book anyway and he was not too happy.

I am 14% done and it is a real eye opener. I have read things about Monsanto for years in not so positive light. This book is great because it starts at the start of the company and how they have changed over the years. Plus all the toxins they made which they ignored or tried to hide while the toxins were killing lots of people. I am at the point now where they talk about Agent Orange. This book is really interesting so far and I have to recommend it for people who are worried about food safety and left over toxins. In addition, they bring up the pollution problem of dumping toxic waste (PCBs) into nearby streams and land fills in Anniston, Alabama. These PCBs were dumped in the poor side of town where there are mostly black folks. Their hogs would inject the PCBs and would become sick and die as well as the people becoming very sick and some dying. Monsanto-Solutia had been doing the dumping since the 1930's and stopped in 1972. The PCB's have leaked from the dump fields and the creeks and rivers no longer have fish and aquatic animals. There was a class-action suit where Johnny Cochran represented 18,000 plaintiffs who lived near Snow Creek and the Choccolocco Creek and testified they had serious medical problems like cancer, liver disease, neurological disorders and heart disease. Johnny Cochran won $700 million for the people. Monsanto denies that PCBs cause serious problems to people who lived near the chemical plant. In a court case in 2001, Owens v. Monsanto, Monsanto only agrees that it can cause cloracne (a serious skin disease). Monsanto says it is easily treatable. Monsanto was ordered to do a clean-up with a 'special master' overseeing the project. There have been other lawsuits against Monsanto from individual people in Anniston. Some are still pending.

I am 25% done. What I have to say so far is Shame on Monsanto (sorry Dad and Betty). The truth hurts. They even had the EPA on their side based on the lies Monsanto told them about their own scientific research. I can't believe the EPA just disregarded the whistle-blowers and the data they came up with. There are studies of these toxic chemicals being done all over the world. Monsanto just disregards them, period. At this point I am on the production of rBST's (Bovine somatotropin) which is a peptide hormone that affects the pituitary gland. This hormone is supposed to increase cows milk production. The problem is that it creates severe mastitis in cows where the teats get swollen and extracts pus. The brand name for rBST is Posilac. This causes 40% reduction in fertility and 55% increased risk of developing clinical signs of lameness. This study reported a decrease in body condition score for cows treated with rBST even though there was an increase in their dry matter intake. The European Union commission's statement, subsequently adopted by the European Union, stated that the use of rBST substantially increased health problems with cows, including foot problems, mastitis and injection site reactions, impinged on the welfare of the animals and caused reproductive disorders. On September 30, 2010, the United States Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, analyzing evidence submitted in briefs, found that there is a "compositional difference" between milk from rBGH-treated cows and milk from untreated cows. The court stated that milk from rBGH-treated cows has: increased levels of the hormone Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1); higher fat content and lower protein content when produced at certain points in the cow's lactation cycle; and more somatic cell counts, which may "make the milk turn sour more quickly." Many countries have now banned the use of Posilac or any other rBST product sold by other companies. It seems like it never ends with Monsanto and their denials and outright lies. They have very close connections with the EPA, FDA and other organizations and last but not least politicians. Outside scientists doing studies on Monsanto products end up getting their projects cancelled and are forced to retire or resign. Every outside scientific research project and even individual people (like small farmers) are very afraid of Monsanto and what they can do to their livelyhood.

I am 49% done. I'm am now at the point where they are about to import Roundup Ready soybeans. Independant studies by well know scientists have been researched with negative outcomes in the studies in animals (rats mostly). As soon as they find something negative, the studies are cancelled and the scientists are forced out of their jobs. However, Monsanto's own scientists have positive outcomes. Monsanto must have a great law team because they are able to scare other organizations to make them look clean. One case worth mentioning is of a famous European scientist from Rowett Institute who had done research on dioxin (I think) and found all kinds of problems with it. He said that Monsanto's own scientists did not do their research correctly and basically skimmed over the research. The scientist wrote an article about his findings and gave a large presentation on TV about what he found. Afterwards, his boss came up to him with congratulations on a job well done. Said he was brilliant, etc. etc. 2 days later his boss fired him and the scientist said he looked as though he had been threatened. Monsanto is dirty, very dirty!

I am 67% done. I am at the point where Argentina has opened it's arms to transgenic soybeans. Where people once used to grow corn, regular soybeans, vegetables, etc. is now a vast land of transgenic soybeans. Of course, they have to use Roundup to spray the plants. At the beginning, they would only have to spray twice but as time went on the weeds become resistant to it and have to spray more and more. After a while, it gets into the soil and the land becomes barren and lacking the neccessary nutrients to keep these soybeans growing. Eventually, they have to stop farming. Since the land is now a wasteland nothing can grow in it. Also, people in the area are getting sick from all the spraying and some have died to extreme exposure to the Roundup. They talk about sojeros in Argentina that go to peoples homes and ask to lease their land for soybeans and pays them a good sum. The small farmers take the money but eventially realize they made a big mistake. They plant the soybeans and at the beginning they only need to spray twice. As time goes on the weeds become resistant to the Roundup and they have to spray more frequently at higher doses. It starts to affect the crops (they get smaller) because that amount of Roundup leaves the soil barren and lacking essential nutrients. After the sojeros use the land they give it back to the small farmer but now he cannot grow anything on his land as it is barren. They have no way to make money so they are forced to move to the city slums. Then there is the government and private sectors who deforest the rare trees in that area so they can grow more soybeans. So now as you are driving in that area (the author says) all you can see is soybeans as far as the eye can see. At one point, seeds suddenly started appearing in Paraguay without their knowledge. Farmers started taking the sacks of seeds and planting them not knowing where they came from. Some felt it was a trap set by Monsanto. Now most of South America is growing these Roundup Raady soybeans. I am afraid to eat soybeans now. You know our grocery stores produce are full of Roundup, genetically and otherwise. One thing that bugs me is that Monsanto claims that Roundup is good for the environment and causes no problems. Monsanto has never suggested protective gear for people who spray tons of Roundup over very large crops. One boy in Argentina who was walking home from the market where he bought meat and noodles was suddenly sprayed with Roundup by a soybean field. He was soaked through. As soon as he got home he told his mother he wasn't feeling well and had migraines, nausea, red swollen eyes and joint pain. To make matters worse, the family ate the meat and noodles at dinner. Now everyone was sick. The boy kept getting worse and worse and he had to go to the hospital for 7 weeks in intensive care. He came back home and things got a little better until he was sprayed again only this time he died. The family sued (not sure if they sued the government, Monsanto or some FDA type organisation)and won. The same thing happened to another boy who got sprayed in the area and he died. The family could not afford to sue so they did nothing. Monsanto still denies any problems as always. The company is bulletproof and use money given to politicians, federal agencies and so on so they will praise them on what great work they are doing. They sue anyone at the drop of a hat. Monsanto is just that powerful. It's really very scary.

Now I am finished with the book. The rest of the book talks about India and how they adopted Roundup Ready cotton (Indias main staple), Advertisements are all over the TV's since Monsanto hired Bollywood actors to make a fun and jumpy ad. They claimed that they will get higher yields of cotton and they only have to spray 2-3 times during the growing cycle. They said it was environmentally safe, etc. The Indians really bought into that promise but soon they regretted it. The cotton that was grown was smaller in size and not the right consistency. They could not sell it because cotton dealers would not buy it saying the cotton lacked fibers of normal cotton. Now these farmers are in deep debt because the seeds are 10 times more expensive than regular seeds. The author went to a lot of villages where small farmers had huge debts and she talked to them. They said Monsanto lied to them and that their crops are worthless. The big issue there was that farmers started killing themselves and I mean thousands of them ever since the introduction of the cotton seeds. I got the impression from the book that most of these people who committed suicide died by poison. They drank whole bottles of pesticide at an alarming rate. I think the people of India are very proud people and they could not handle the stress of their livelihood. They would rather die than be embarrased. One thing I never got an answer to in the book is if Monsanto ever admitted to the dangers of Agent Orange. I guess I will do my own research on that.

This book is a must read. It is tough reading as there is a lot of scientific data and details of research. The author spend years on the road going from one country to another and one remote village to another looking for answers. She interviewed so many crucial people I could not keep track of them all. This book is very thorough and she says it like it is. Well, the thing is you hardly ever hear what she has to say just that she asks questions to the people she interviews. What out for Monsanto! They are VERY clever, corrupt and liars. This reminds me of the book 1984 by George Orwell and Monsanto is Big Brother.(less)

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Jan 07, 2012 Rachel rated it 4 of 5 stars

For a long time I've heard "Monsanto-is-evil" type comments and didn't really know much about the company or the fuss. I was wary of reading a one-sided expose on Monsanto but this book was not the mass hysteria book that I'm sure people could write on the company. It was well-researched, thorough and provided a broad basis for why one could really come to the conclusion that Monsanto is really something that a reasonable person could conclude is "evil" (note the book doesn't actually say this)....more

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Jan 11, 2013 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Incredibly dense and well-researched this reads like a government conspiracy novel. Since the early 20th Century Monsanto has been lying, manipulating, covering, coercing and bullying their way into control of the global food market. It is terrifying what they have gotten away with and how much power they yield. Even if half of what this books claims is true we have a very powerful and very scary organization controlling our food system. The author makes a solid case based on events all over the...more

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Sep 14, 2011 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science, activism

This book was quite scary. The book is the result of investigative journalism of the megacorporation, Monsanto. It explores the company's history since before the Vietnam War. Topics include PCBs (which the company discovered), Agent Orange (which the company was a major manufacturer), DDT, bovine growth hormones, Roundup, and transgenic crops (Roundup Ready soy, corn, cotton etc.). The picture is bleak. It follows the revolving door of company executives and their path from Monsanto to the regu...more

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Jan 30, 2013 Taeha Condon rated it 5 of 5 stars

A MUST READ. If you care even remotely about the planet, what you put into your body, how pesticides can affect the ecosystem and human reproduction, or the effects on agriculture through trade liberalisation and the corporatization of our food supplies - this is your go to bible. Even if you are not interested in these areas, you still need to read this book. It will change the way you look at the way in which the world is structured and who benefits from the monopolisation of not only the aggr...more

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Aug 22, 2010 Surfing Moose rated it 4 of 5 stars

Quite an examination of Monsanto and quite one sided (but there really didn't seem to be another side and Monsanto did decline to participate). This book was an eye opener as to how as a person my rights are being eroded for profit, bad science, and little or no foresight as to GMO's effects on the environment and humanity. And this coming from someone who considers them-self a moderate.

Okay that really wasn't a review of the book itself but after reading the book I'm pissed off and confused as...more

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Jun 29, 2012 Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars

There are few topics on this earth that get me as riled up as talking or reading about Monsanto and what they have done to ruin so many things on this planet!! Rather than make myself out to sound like a crazy person ranting on about the under-handed horrible way this company is hurting us all, I will just say this:

Anyone curious as to how one company could {very} possibly bring on a world-wide famine?

Ever wondered why there seems to be so much more cancer and other diseases being diagnosed the...more

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Oct 22, 2010 Deb rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: green-themes, french-authors

Like Marie Monique Robin, I do not want to live in the world according to Monsanto. A world where ethics are subjugated to the pursuit of profit at any cost. Ever since reading Silent Spring by Rachel Carson I have steered clear of pesticides, herbicides and GM foods for health and environmental reasons. I expected to read in this book about the risks of genetic engineering and the increase in use of Round Up as a result of the introduction of Monsanto's RoundUp Ready canola and soy. She covered...more

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May 23, 2013 Shared Machine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

All I can say is what a monstrosity this company has become. It's giving us all sorts of ideas for future Sci-Fi scenarios. Unfortunately, however, it will be hard for fantasy to compare with the exceedingly grim reality produced by this toxic corporate culture and the horrific, profligate quest for profits beyond any appreciation for humanity.
The book's style is dense. The quality of the writing could be better. Nevertheless, it's meticulous in its research. There are many revelations along th...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Icmajik rated it 5 of 5 stars

To speak about the writing in this book, I found this book to be well written, in an engaging style, despite the mostly technical nature of the material. I actually followed about 75% of this writer's cited resources and found her summation and conclusions to be well reasoned and drafted. Now, as for the topic she is writing about; this is an extremely controversial subject, one that I feel passionately about and she provided me new material to continue my research on the issues. I would recomme...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

Marie-Monique Robin’s scathing expose of giant food corp Monsanto. I hated Monsanto even before I read this book and now I hate them even more. All this revolving door biz with the FDA and the USDA and the EPA, etc. It just makes me soooo angry that 5 multi-corps own about 85% of the world’s food supply. Monsanto is now buying up seed companies to maintain its stranglehold on food. We have got to stop this!

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 15, 2012 April rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: environment-etc, food, non-fiction

Ok, lots of good information. Very dry. The little comments where the author describes her shock are so utterly ridiculous. I am not shocked, why was she? Horrified as usual, yes. Shocked? Not remotely.
The main problem with the book is probably that it's really about a corportation which is not all that exciting as opposed to people etc. Still, worth the read.

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Nov 10, 2011 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Everyone should read this. I mean, everyone. Republicans, Democrats, Tea Party - this is not a political issue as much as it is a moral issue. Did you know that Monsanto controls 90% of our food supply?? And that it hides research about the fact that it the food it supplies causes cancer and infertility? Scary stuff, but something we should all be aware of.

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Jun 16, 2013 Marissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a great story for all to read. It opens your eyes to see how corrupt corporate America is. We don't care how much damage we do to the earth or other countries but we don't think about how it will affect us. Just because the chemicals are used on the other side of the world doesn't mean it won't affect us. We eat that food. The FDA should create a global organization. I wish Robin included more of the struggle of traveling alone for 3 years all over the world. All in all it was a very int...more

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Apr 18, 2012 Ian rated it 3 of 5 stars

3 1/2 stars. Very informative and persuasive, yet kind of awkwardly written (a side effect of the translation?). I feel like the latter sections were more or less just repeating the same information. I can't blame the author for wanting to include so many examples, but it did make it a little bit tedious to get through.

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Mar 29, 2013 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

A must read. A very scary account of how our food supply and regulatory agencies have been held hostage by a multinational corporation. It made me realize how important it is that we know what foods are genetically modified.

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Aug 24, 2012 Brianne rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was simply amazing. Everything I had come to understand as a scientist had been violated by Monsanto. The company has been using us as guinea pigs - like most companies but far worse. Not only that, but they control are food and access to new medicines! It is atrocious.

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Apr 02, 2013 Diane C. rated it 5 of 5 stars

A great, journalistic and interesting read about the history of Monsanto in particular. No, they are not just the evil creators of GMO's but of MANY nasty things that poison the world, even the ones not made anymore. Monsanto is the gift that keeps on giving and this book helps point out how important it is to get rid of this vile company.

I'll use a quote from another reviewer, "In a nutshell, Monsanto has immense power and is accountable to no-one. They have exposed us all to PCBs, herbicides,...more

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Apr 30, 2013 Robert rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, non-fiction, own-it

Not too much I didn't already know here. It just seemed it was long and not as interesting as it could have been.

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Aug 23, 2012 Liz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science, modern-reality

Wow! Wow! Wow! Read slowly, otherwise you will get depressed. Over time you can accept, and decide to take action.

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Jun 29, 2010 Ida Rand added it

everyone should read this, it's important, it's relevant, it's massively depressing so no one will read it and instead they will read twilight and i will be sad.

2 likes · like · see review

May 02, 2013 Richard Hesslein rated it 5 of 5 stars

Detailed look at a Coporate villan and how that all works thru corruption of our government!

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Jul 20, 2010 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: health

I started this skeptically and ended thinking I might never feed my kid non-organic food again.

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