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Lancaster, OH | "Or how does one explain how Monsanto's chemical sweetener aspartame aka "nutrasweet" suddenly gets FDA approval once Donald Rumsfeld got on President's Reagan's transition team? Rumsfeld was, by he way, previously the CEO of a Searle which would become a Monsanto subsidiary. "
Nutrasweet was a Searle product before the aquisition by Monsanto. Aspartame was on the market prior to being associated with Monsanto. In addition, Monsanto bought a $7M settlement with the Copper 7 IUD that came with Searle.
As to the history of Monsanto, they started by producing Aspirin and grew in chemistry from there. When I started with them in the early 80's, the Ag division was the largest single enterprise built on their own development with acetanalid chemistry (Lasso) and patenting the use of glyposate as a week control agent.
Gaining a patent for a new use of an existing product is very common. A current one is Avicta which is patented by Syngenta for use as a seed treatment for cyst nematodes. The active is post patent for nematode and ascarid control in animals as abimectrin.
The comments that refer to attitudes as a "do as I say, not as I do" are accurate for many organizations and people. We as US farmers will stand up for American agriculture and the need to support American farmers and in the same day purchase products from generic suppliers in China, Israel, India, etc. Many of us sinners are good a casting stones.
Edited by JimmyP 1/4/2012 08:35
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Why does Monsanto have such a negative public image compared to the other seed companies?
