by Melissa Diane Smith

At the Pima County Board of Supervisors meeting on October 18, 2016, roughly half a dozen citizens spoke, giving the supervisors information about Monsanto’s terrible history and record and pleading with them not to approve a tax break for Monsanto to build a greenhouse and land operation facility in Avra Valley.

Watch a video of three of the people who gave their comments, including a man who had worked in suicide prevention who gave a very heartfelt plea to the supervisors. (Bear in mind that it’s not the best quality video, but it’s the only video of the proceedings that I could find!)

Below are the written words of what Martha Dominguez of Rising Tide Tucson, I, and farmer Anne Loftfield of High Energy Agriculture said.

(more…)

by Melissa Diane Smith

Below is a guest opinion piece I wrote and sent into the Arizona Daily Star close to two weeks ago. I was hoping it would be published during The International Monsanto Tribunal/March Against Monsanto weekend (October 15-16, 2016). The Star didn’t publish the article, but I gave a copy of this article to each one of the Pima County supervisors during their meeting on October 18, 2016.

It’s ironic and extremely disturbing to read your October 9^th front-page story about negotiations to give a tax break to Monsanto for a greenhouse in Pima County exactly one week before March Against Monsanto marches are planned throughout the world and before The International Monsanto Tribunal where witnesses will provide their accounts of harm to health, the environment, and farmers’ livelihood from Monsanto’s agricultural practices.

(more…)

Follow These 7 Steps to Say NO to Monsanto’s Plans in the Tucson Area

by Melissa Diane Smith

Unbeknownst to many people who live in Pima County, controversial multinational biotechnology giant Monsanto Co., which is known for bringing environmental and health damage to the areas that grow its genetically modified and pesticide-laden crops, is swiftly taking action to move a chunk of its seed operation into Pima County just northwest of Tucson. A small but powerful coalition of Pima County and Arizona residents, businesses, and non-profit organizations have already taken action to oppose Monsanto’s efforts, and we call on you to join the “Stop Monsanto in the Tucson Area” action coalition.

(more…)

More people are reading Going Against GMOs, which has led to new highly rated reviews.

Angie Wagg from Kelly’s Thoughts on Things blog called Going Against GMOs “The Definitive Guide to Understanding,” which I consider a very high compliment!

She wrote:

(more…)

by Melissa Diane Smith

A new GMO labeling law was signed into law this summer. At first that sounds like positive news for American consumers who want to easily identify and avoid GMOs.

But it turns out it really isn’t.

I was so pleased to have the opportunity to share the straight scoop on the new law and what it means to consumers in an interview with my long-time friend and colleague, trailblazing nutritionist Ann Louise Gittleman. (When I was first starting in the nutrition and health writing business, she inspired me and helped show me the ropes, so I couldn’t have been happier to answer her questions!)

Check out the interview I did with her, What’s the Deal with GMO Labeling? on her blog.

Copyright 2016 Melissa Diane Smith

by Melissa Diane Smith

October should be called Non-GMO Action Month. Not only is it Non-GMO Awareness Month, it’s also a month that has March Against Monsanto, World Food Day, and The International Monsanto Tribunal during the weekend of October 14-16, 2016. That makes it the perfect time to boost your knowledge about laboratory-created genetically modified organisms (GMOs), the serious issues that go hand in hand with them, and how you can avoid GMOs and help others learn to avoid them, too.

Try these ten surefire ways to build up your non-GMO knowledge:

(more…)