The US-based Monsanto started in 1901 with the production of the artificial sweetener saccharine. By the 1940s, it had expanded its business to Europe and had become one of the leading chemical manufacturing companies in the United States.  Among its herbicide products, the dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) became particularly infamous for its disastrous health risks and environmental damage, and was banned in 1972 in the US, owing to the efforts by environmentalists.

In early 1980s, Monsanto started genetic experimenting on plant cells. This was a big leap for the company, away from chemical production to biotechnical engineering, and by the end of the century Monsanto had become the biotech giant of the world, specializing in genetically modified seeds. Genetically modified (GM) foods, mostly crops, have the advantages of high tolerance of herbicides, resistance to pests, diseases, drought, and low temperature, and added nutrition. At the same time, such crops have been subject to strong criticism. A number of human health risks, including different types of allergic reactions, have been known as caused by GM foods. And equally, or even more, serious are the concerns of genetic invasions caused by GM species.

Studies show that GM plants are capable of interbreeding with non-GM plants of the same species, which are planted near them. Thus, the biotechnologically altered genes travel through crops and multiply in numbers as well as complexity, posing unforeseen threats to public health. Furthermore, the altered genes can be incorporated into the genetic makeup of the weeds growing around them, causing the weeds to become herbicide resistant. This would mean a threat to environment and crops, as well as additional cost to economy due to the need for researching new, stronger varieties of herbicides.

With an expanding business going hand in hand with the genetic contamination of crops, Monsanto also continued to have an increasing experience of litigation against the farming community. Crop farmers in US and Canada have been sued by Monsanto for reproducing GM seeds/crops without paying the due royalty to the company. By 2005, at least 90 lawsuits had been by Monsanto against American farmers alone. A famous case highlighted by the Greenpeace International was that of a Canadian farmer Percy Shmeiser who lost his case in 2004 to Monsanto for failing to pay the company while accidentally discovering herbicide-resistant canola on his farm and reproducing it without the prior permission of Monsanto. Greenpeace called the GM invasion of common crops ‘genetic pollution’. Does a company have the right to genetically contaminate common crops of farms and then claim patent rights when the uninvited GM seeds on one’s own farm are reproduced?

This question, with added environmental concern, has already entered the law court and the verdict of the court will certainly be the determinant of the future of farming and feeding in and outside America. What is unambiguously clear so far is the fact that if you try to transcend nature, it will cost more than it pays; though for companies like Monsanto, the profit may surpass both the investment and the cost of litigation.

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On the other hand, dermatitis herpetiformis or Duhring’s Disease is an allergy induced by gluten consumption. It is a skin condition characterized by intense itching, blisters, and skin eruptions. Health care practitioners have found this condition to have a strong link to Celiac disease.

Aside from the two above-mentioned medical disorders, some people opt to go for a gluten-free diet. Food researchers indicated that while eating grains benefit your body, those with gluten can do more harm than good. It was said that a human body is not capable of fully digesting gluten causing the said protein to rot inside our bodies and leak to the bloodstream—now considered as toxin, since it is unnatural for this substance to be present in blood. It can also cause insulin levels to increase and stirs auto-immune reactions inside the body. Furthermore, a strong link was found between emotional responses and gluten particularly that of ADHD, depression and other mental disorders.

In a nutshell, gluten is a substance primarily found in wheat, rye and barley but it can also be present in some cereal grains. It is a protein substance that comes with starch and is fairly resistant to natural digestion process of the body. To date, there is no existing list of exactly what grains have been found carrying gluten in its composition.

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o    Salmonellosis: Salmonellosis is the one of the most prevalent foodborne infectious diseases in the world. It is caused by the bacteria Salmonella and is characterized by symptoms of nausea, diarrhea, pain in the abdomen, and fever. Many patients recover in three days to a few weeks. In some people, especially young and weak children, it may cause death if timely treatment is not provided. Common foods that bear Salmonella include poultry, meat, eggs, and dairy products (especially raw milk).
o    Campylobacteriosis: Reportedly more prevalent than Salmonellosis is the bacterial infection of Campylobacteriosis caused by Campylobacter bacteria that enter the body through the consumption of unclean drinking water, poorly cooked poultry, and unboiled milk. The symptoms of Campylobacteriosis are similar to those of Salmonellosis, though Campylobacteriosis can also cause long-term health problems like arthritis or disorders of the nervous system.
o    E. coli Infections: Though comparatively lower in incidence, these infections pose a more severe and potentially fatal threat to health. Characterized by …..these seriously affect people with a weaker immune system (mostly children and old people).
o    Cholera:  Cholera continues to be a big problem in many developing countries. Characterized by diarrhea, vomiting, and pain, this bacterial disease may be transmitted via unclean water and many types of contaminated foods including vegetables and seafood. It kills large numbers of people due to diarrhea-induced dehydration and loss of vital nutrients from the body.

Bacterial infections are not the only foodborne diseases known to affect human populations. Other parasites and viruses also cause many different types of diseases after entering the human digestive and circulatory systems. Some fungi (especially mushrooms) and unconventional pathogenic agents also induce food-related illnesses. Organic pollutants, derived mainly from industrial processes and use of toxic substances, may accumulate in, or on, food and risk the health of the consumer. Metals like cadmium, mercury, and lead also contaminate water and food and cause health problems. These metals may come from natural sources but are more frequently produced by anthropogenic pollution of the natural environment.

The statistics of mortality from foodborne diseases remain imprecise but the estimated figures run in millions. Diarrhea alone causes an estimated 1.8 million deaths across the globe, most of them thought to be infected by food. Besides the public health issue, foodborne diseases are the cause of considerable socio-economic stress for many countries. Eating means life for all of us but for many of us, healthy eating still remains a 21st century challenge.

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