In the 1970s Monsanto unveiled a miracle herbicide–Glyphosate. The pitch: it was as safe as table salt for people, but could flatten even the peskiest weeds. Farmers and homeowners alike have used the product ever since. Now, it shows up in detectable levels in many foods, and almost every American has some in their bodies. Several new lawsuits allege that it’s linked to cancer—and that Monsanto knew it all along. In this Secret Ingredient special Raj Patel, Tom Philpott and Rebecca McInroy explore why scientists, farmers, and lawyers are taking on Monsanto and what it means for everyone today.
Secret Ingredient
V&B – The Secret Ingredient – The Future of Food
In this special The Secret Ingredient edition of Views & Brews, KUT’s Rebecca McInroy joins Tom Philpott, food and agriculture writer for Mother Jones Magazine, and Raj Patel from the LBJ school of public affairs, and author of “Stuffed and Starved” and “The Value of Nothing”, to talk about everything from GMOs and Soylent Green, to Video Games and The Family Dinner.
What will it mean to eat food in the future? What will food look and taste like? Will things like fake meat, Soylent, and Quorn, replace the Sunday dinner of rump roast, potatoes, and collard greens? And if they do, would that really be so bad?