What Were the Europeans’ Key Concerns with Regards to Gmos? What Answers Did Monsanto offer to Alleviate These Concerns?

1. What were the Europeans’ key concerns with regards to GMOs? What answers did Monsanto offer to alleviate these concerns?

1. Initially, they were concerned with the effects that they may have on the health of those that consumed them such as the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. They were also concerned about the effect that they may have on the environment. Monsanto responded to these concerns mostly in a technical manner – they used evidence from other scientific studies or rebuttals to show that the fears affecting Europeans’ resistance were arguably less severe or unfounded. They also posted and aired ads with contact information for anti-GMO associations in an attempt to show their willingness to enter an open dialogue regarding the issues.

1. Why did the anti-GMO campaign focus on Monsanto? Did they company have an image problem? Was the integrated “Life Science Company” flawed?

1. The campaign focused on Monsanto because, at the time these issues were coming up, it was one of the largest most recognizable names in the chemical industry. This made them an easy target for the general public and activist groups to use as the face of the cause of the issues they were seeing. Additionally, the fact that it was an international (not to mention American) company made it even easier to be vilified publicly. Even though, prior to the studies about potential negative effects of GMOs were published, Monsanto had done much in the way of improving their social responsibility initiatives, they were still the company that had developed Agent Orange. This led to a prolonged, at least in the eyes of the environmentally conscious and active people, stigma that it was a bad company. In that sense, they did have an image problem. The integrated “Life Science Company” was not inherently flawed, but the pace with which they developed new products and degree to which they did not think about the long-term effects of those products and/or the public perception of those effects was flawed.

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