Last updated on November 5th, 2013
COMING TO A PRODUCE AISLE NEAR YOU, and conveniently pre-packaged and ready-to-eat, is ‘Beneforte’ broccoli. As you can see in the photo up top, the package is labeled with a number of health claims. But when you realize what’s missing from the bag, you’ll probably gag. I know I did. For Beneforte is the product of the agricultural Goliath I like the least. It is the product of Monsanto.
To be clear, there is nothing inherently wrong with ‘Beneforte.’ It is not a genetically modified vegetable, but a cross between a commercial broccoli and a wild broccoli. (More details: see comment #25 beow.)
This cross, according to Monsanto, produced a “super” vegetable — one which contains 2-3 times the phytonutrient glucoraphanin, “as compared to other leading broccoli varieties produced under similar growing conditions.” I can only imagine what those “similar growing conditions” might be. They certainly aren’t organic conditions, or the label would say so.
What gets my goat is Monsanto’s claim that ‘Beneforte’ helps to “maintain your body’s defenses against the damage of environmental pollutants and free radicals.” Now that’s a howler. For Monsanto is one of the biggest polluters of the environment. Have a look at their track record, which includes the company’s introduction of Agent Orange:
Monsanto Hid Decades of Pollution The Washington Post, January 1, 2002
EPA Concerned about Monsanto Pollution Control Dam
Monsanto Pays 93 Million to Victims in Settlement
Monsanto: A Legacy of Deception
The New PCB: Monsanto’s Round-up weed killer turning up in air, rain and rivers
Well. Is it any wonder that Monsanto doesn’t want its name emblazoned on packages of ‘Beneforte’ broccoli?
Folks, if you look at the recipes here at A Garden for the House, you will quickly discover that I am not a food-prude. My goal with this article is simply to warn those of you who might be avoiding Monsanto products to watch out for ‘Beneforte’ broccoli. The pre-packaged product is currently available at supermarkets in California, Texas, Georgia and Minnesota. It will, I presume, reach Northeastern shops before long.
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Related Posts:
Forewarned is Forearmed: Veggies Owned by Monsanto
Keep Monsanto OUT of Your Veggie Patch
Got Weeds? Use Vinegar, Not Round-up
joseph gilbert says
Kevin, we promise you you won’t find monsantos products here, we have gone over our seed list a few times nowand we expunged any seeds that were affiliated.as for the store….no beneforte here
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
joseph gilbert – I think the seeds are reserved exclusively for Monsanto’s supermarket endeavors. And even if they were available, I know you’d never sell them!
Jeanne Collins says
Thank you so much for posting this! My political hot button this year is GMO foods and even though this isn’t GMO, it still has Monsanto’s dirty hands all over it. (It probably is GMO and they are just lying to us). I hope everyone has watched this TED talk http://www.wimp.com/realfood by Robyn O’Brien! Folks we NEED to become aware of what is being pushed upon us without telling us!
Amateur Garden says
Thanks for the warning.
Mary says
This is why I have a big vegetable garden and three freezers!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Jeanne Collins – I am a BIG Robyn O’Brien fan. Thanks for posting the link.
Debbie says
Kevin, I’m new to your site and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your efforts and shares, especially regarding Monsanto. I was wondering if you’d seen this effort yet?
http://www.issuu.com/varsane/docs/monsanto_tumbles_down?mode=window&viewMode=doublePage
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Debbie – Good article and publication — thanks for the link.
Erin says
Thanks Kevin for the info. It’s a sad day when eating your veggies is bad for you.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Erin – Well, in this case it’s not the veggies which are bad. It’s the company behind the veggies I have a beef with!
Angela says
Kevin- thanks again for your posting about monsanto- is there anything this company doesn’t have it’s fingers in?
Your posts are largely responsible for gettting me to think about the ways that you can support this company without actually meaning to- I have always disliked them- but it seemed like the biggest way they made money was big agriculture, so I never thought about the ways they insinuate themselves into the home garden- or the ways I could make a difference with my tiny purchasing power.
But when you tell people that vinegar works just as good as round up (you could have knocked my husband over with a feather when he saw that, by the way), and point out that you’re using it not just to avoid using a nasty chemical but also to stop financially supporting monsanto- I think you are affecting the big company, and allowing us all to affect them too- thanks for that- keep it up.
badger gardener says
Kevin, you rock! You are changing the world one garden at a time.
My spinach and mustard greens have sprouted in my winter-sowing jugs. What a unique winter we have had. Hope they are not up too early.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Angela – Thank you for kind words. And talk about Monsanto quietly insinuating itself into our lives — the distilled white vinegar I use on my weeds is made from corn. And 60% of the corn grown in this country is GMO, according to the USDA. But considering the alternative — Round-up — I still think vinegar is the lesser of two evils. Vinegar does not pollute the environment.
badger gardener – Congrats on your winter-sowing success! And don’t worry about your spinach and mustard greens. They are hardy annuals.
Melissa says
How come Diamond was sued because they advertized that walnuts are good for your heart, and told they would have to register walnuts as a drug, but Monsanto can say their broccoli boosts your body’s antioxident enzymes? Monsanto produces the least healthful “food” on the planet!
Donnella says
Thanks for alerting us to this. Although most of my produce is purchased from a local organic farm, it’s good to know what this evil giant is up to. I don’t want even one cent of my grocery budget going to their coffers.
Susan says
Just tweeted this warning. Thanks for the warning!
Rita says
Thank you so much Kevin for posting this! In finding this post I found http://www.wimp.com/realfood by Robyn O’Brien! Thanks again for your doing your ‘one thing’ to help change the world!!! Blessings in your journey!!!!!!
badger gardener says
I was searching your pest section and saw this entry. I realize it is categorized here likely beause people tend to grab for monsanto products when dealing w/ pests. But my first thought was “there’s the biggest pest of all per Kevin”, which started my day off w/ a good laugh.
I’m off to find your milk -spray recipe. After all that drought, we get a little rain and here comes the powdery mildew on my squash.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
badger gardener – I listed this under “Pests” because I consider Monsanto a pest. And by the way, be sure to check your email, or perhaps spam folder. Your comment # was selected by Random.org.
badger gardener says
While nature’s pests target a specific plant, monsanto threatens the whole darn food supply.
That is exciting news about Ricki’s cheesemaking kit! I was just thinking of ordering a couple for Christmas gifts and now I’ll be able to try it out myself first. I don’t see an email yet but I’ll be on the lookout for it. Thanks for the great giveaway.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
badger – perhaps your email is different from the one that shows up for me (it ends with att.net). Try sending me an email: [email protected]
badger gardener says
Sorry Kevin. I have to “enable javascript in my browser” to send the email and I humbly admit that I don’t even know what that means. The ending of the email is correct.
Holly says
Dang! I was so excited about this product, but of course will not buy it. Is there any possibility that Monsanto has finally realized the error of their ways and/or that Europe isn’t going to change their minds about GMO’s? I live in Scotland and they are selling this Beneforte here but will not, as far as I know, bow to the GMO’s.
Val says
I despise Monsanto, the most evil company there is. Anyone who doubts that should watch the documentary ‘Food Inc.’
joe schott says
@ Kevin et alt. :
I wholeheartedly agree with you on your views of Monsanto. However, Beneforte Broccoli is not a Monsanto creation. It was developed in the UK at the John Innes Center in Norfolk . For the US market they – one can argue foolishly – are cooperating with Monsanto due to its distribution muscle to make it available. Hence the lack of Monsanto label.
Not sure whether that makes it any better or worse.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Joe Schott – Thanks for the UK detail. I’ve placed an asterisk in the above article, directing readers to your comment. Funny how a perfectly good product can become tainted when it has a Monsanto-connection.
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