The World According to Monsanto—Pollution, Corruption, and the Control of Our Food Supply

by Marie-Monique Robin

TRANSLATED BY GEORGE HOLOCH

No one who cares for their freedom and health can afford to ignore this very important book.
—Vandana Shiva, author of Earth Democracy and Stolen Harvest

Hailed as “a truly eye-opening view of how American business-as-usual really works” by the Daily Kos and “an alarming and uncompromising investigation” by Le Monde, The World According to Monsanto charts award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker Marie-Monique Robin’s three-year journey across four continents to uncover the disturbing practices of the multinational agribusiness corporation Monsanto. 

A finalist for the New York Public Library’s 2011 Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism, the book tells the shocking story of how the new “green” face of the world’s leading producer of GMOs (genetically modified organisms) is no less malign than its PCB- and Agent Orange–soaked past. Following its long history of manufacturing hazardous chemicals and lethal herbicides, Monsanto now controls the majority of the yield of the world’s genetically modified corn and soy—ingredients found in more than 95 percent of American households—and its alarming legal and political tactics to maintain this monopoly are the subject of worldwide concern, with baleful consequences for the world’s small-scale farmers. 

Named one of the top ten environmental books to read in 2010 by Mother Nature Network, The World According to Monsanto is positioned to increase awareness of what has become a serious threat to our food supply.


Marie-Monique Robin is an award-winning French journalist and filmmaker. She received the 1995 Albert-Londres Prize, awarded to investigative journalists in France. She is the director and producer of over thirty documentaries and investigative reports filmed in Latin America, Africa, Europe, and Asia. She lives outside of Paris. George Holochhas translated more than twenty books, including Notes on the Occupation and Offshore(both from The New Press). He lives in Hinesburg, Vermont.

Monsanto's controversial past combines some of the most toxic products ever sold—with misleading reports, pressure tactics, collusion, and attempted corruption. They now race to genetically engineer (and patent) the world's entire food supply, which profoundly threatens our health, environment, and economy. Combining secret documents with first-hand accounts by victims, scientists, and politicians, this widely praised film exposes why Monsanto has become the world's poster child for malignant corporate influence in government and technology.