A Challenge to Monsanto-Will the Biotech Giant Respond?

From Dr. Mercola at mercola.com
On May 20, Attorney Steven Druker issued the following challenge to Monsanto:
Face up to the facts about the risks of genetically engineered (GE) foods, and try to refute the facts presented in his book, Altered Genes, Twisted Truth: How the Venture to Genetically Engineer Our Food Has Subverted Science, Corrupted Government, and Systematically Deceived the Public, which exposes the dangers.

While you may not be familiar with Steven Druker, his legacy includes suing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the late ‘90s over its decision to treat genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as if they are Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) .

However, the FDA’s claim that GMOs are GRAS is a major fraud. When Druker sued the FDA, the agency was forced to release its internal files on GE foods—some of which were truly damning.

They showed that not only did the FDA ignore and cover up warnings from its own scientists about the “abnormal risks” associated with these foods, it also repeatedly lied to the public about the facts.

Most egregiously, the FDA violated federal food safety law by permitting GMOs to be marketed without any standard safety testing. Had the FDA paid heed to its scientists, told the truth, and followed the law, GE foods would never have gained entry into the market.

Druker’s Challenge to Monsanto

According to a May 21 press release:
“The book and the challenge were sent to Robb Fraley, Monsanto’s Chief Technology Officer, and delivered on May 20th to the company’s St. Louis headquarters.

Fraley previously sent Dr. [Jane] Goodall [who wrote the book's foreword] an email attempting to soothe her concerns about GE foods – and declaring that he would be 'very pleased' to provide additional information.

She passed that email on to Druker so that he could respond as he saw fit, resulting in the challenge – which stipulates that the additional information comprise a list of every inaccurate assertion of fact that Fraley and his colleagues can find in the book, along with a citation to evidence that conclusively confirms its erroneousness."

The deadline for Monsanto to reply is July 20, and it'll be interesting to see what, if anything, transpires from this challenge. In his letter1 to Fraley, Druker writes:

"If by July 20th you and your allies have not been able to refute the essential factual accuracy of Altered Genes, Twisted Truth according to the terms set forth above, the world will have a right to assume that it is as sound as the experts who reviewed it have affirmed – and to conclude that GE foods are unacceptably risky and must be banned."
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