Monsanto Company
(Statement)

Monday, 21st September 1998

Monsanto Files Complaint Against Granada Television

Monsanto Company today announced that it has filed an official complaint with the Broadcasting Standards Commission over last month's World in Action programme on genetically modified food.

The programme - "Eat Up Your Genes" (Monday 10th August 1998) - claimed that new research by Dr Arpad Pusztai at the Rowett Institute in Aberdeen showed potential health risks from genetically modified food. It generated widespread media coverage across the UK and internationally.

Two days after the broadcast, Dr Pusztai was suspended from the Rowett Institute which said that it regretted that "discussions with the media [had] led to the presentation of information which misled everyone concerned."

"World in Action sparked an unnecessary food scare about genetically modified food" said Dr Colin Merritt, Monsanto's UK Technical Manager. "It suggested that genetically modified foods had been rushed onto the market without adequate long term testing. This is not the case and it was irresponsible to alarm viewers in this way" said Dr Merritt.

Despite numerous requests from Monsanto, Granada refused to share information about Dr Pusztai's research with the company, even though it had filmed his interview seven weeks prior to broadcast. As a result, Monsanto was unable to comment on the findings and explain that they did not involve any new discovery or health threat, as was claimed in the programme.

By contrast, Granada issued an embargoed press release to a selected number of journalists before the broadcast. Under a sensational headline -"New Health Fears Over 'Frankenstein Food"- Granada claimed that Dr Pusztai's research "into the potential health risks [of genetically modified food are] revealed for the first time on World in Action tonight (Monday)".

The basis of Monsanto's complaint to the BSC is that it was unfairly treated by the producers of World in Action and that this breached the Commission's Code of Guidance on Fairness and Privacy.

The company has complained to the BSC that, even though it offered to participate in an interview with World in Action, the producers:

  • failed to tell the company about the arguments or the evidence contained in the programme, despite numerous requests from Monsanto

  • failed to broadcast properly the reasons why the company did not to appear in the programme, despite having been given a full explanation

"Had the programme given us even an outline of Dr Pusztai's research, we would have been able to point out why it did not establish any new health risks. It has been known for years that, if foods were genetically modified with genes which produce toxic proteins, they would harm humans. This is why they aren't used for this purpose.

"In a rush to grab the headlines, World in Action seems to have thrown the rule book out of the window. If the programme had treated Monsanto fairly, by complying with the broadcasting guidelines, it could have made a valuable contribution to the discussion about genetically modified foods. Instead it chose to alarm, not inform, consumers " said Dr Merritt.

For further information please contact:
Ann Foster on - 0370 412723
Colin Merritt on - 0836 731365

Notes to editors:

  1. During Eat Up Your Genes, Dr Pusztai alleged that genetically modified potatoes fed to rats caused growth retardation and damaged their immune systems.

  2. After the programme was broadcast, it was revealed by the Director of the Rowett Research Institute that the rats in the study referred to by Dr Pusztai were not fed genetically modified potatoes; they were fed conventional potatoes mixed with a lectin, Con A, which is well-known as being toxic.

  3. Following the broadcast of Eat Up Your Genes the Rowett Research Institute issued a statement refuting both the contents of the programme and the research results used by Dr Pusztai. In addition, the Institute's Director, Prof Philip James, took the decision to suspend Dr Pusztai. In its own words, 'The Institute regrets the release of misleading information about issues of such importance to the public and the scientific community.'

  4. Despite numerous separate requests for further information about the proposed contributions of other interviewees, Granada Television refused to provide any detail of Dr Pusztai's research, or to adequately make known the views of other contributors.

  5. On the basis of Granada's refusal to supply this information, Monsanto explained its reasons for not participating in the programme, stating that 'Monsanto is committed to an open discussion about biotechnology crops. In the last few weeks, representatives of Monsanto have participated at length on many media programmes. Clearly, these programmes have wanted to play a positive part in promoting this important discussion and have presented balanced stories. However, our correspondence with World in Action leads us to conclude that they do not aim to produce an informed and balanced programme. Therefore, with great reluctance, we have decided that we cannot participate'. This explanation was paraphrased by the producers and did not explain fully the reasons why Monsanto had refused a filmed interview.


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