I just read in my latest Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association (MOFGA) newsletter that there has been a troubling appointment to the government post of Food Safety Advisor. This post has been given to Michael Taylor, former Vice President of Public Policy at Monsanto, Deputy Commissioner of Policy at the FDA, and lawyer. I wrote the following to the white house through their email form:
“To Whom It May Concern:
I am deeply concerned about the recent appointment of Michael Taylor as a food safety advisor. An appointee without a background and association to industry would be best since we could expect an advocate for the public rather than a voice for the corporate interests.
I have done a little reading this morning, and see that Mr. Taylor has been associated with Monsanto indirectly and directly for some time. This is concerning because what we actually need in our country’s food supply is more small scale local farming. I do not see Monsanto as supporting this approach. We need to have more individual producers so that contamination does not occur on a large scale. Organic farming practices should be encouraged because food without added chemicals is clearly more safe than food with additional unnatural chemicals.
Will Taylor work to promote these principles and bring true safety to our country’s food supply?
I believe that there are questions to be raised about Taylor’s association to, and possible preferential treatment of Monsanto. He served at the FDA as Deputy Commissioner of Policy from 1991 to 1994. It was during his policy-oversight at the FDA that the approval of recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) was given. Monsanto was the manufacturer of rBGH at the time. Other countries in Europe and even our neighbor Canada have refused to approve rBGH due to health risks such as increased incidence of cancer (not to mention the ill effects that it has on the cattle).”