In a terrible turn of events, the German conglomerate Bayer, which bought Monsanto in 2018, has just struck a licensing deal with Pairwise, a genetic food startup, to develop and distribute their gene-edited salad greens to American supermarkets. This collaboration will have far reaching consequences as far as the future of the worlds food supply.
Mustard greens are just the start.
In its agreement with Bayer, Pairwise is working on new gene edited corn, soy, wheat, canola, coffee, salad greens, and bananas. Pairwise delivered 27 novel traits to Bayer’s pipeline for corn, soy, wheat, and canola.
Bayer is a German multinational conglomerate with 340 companies in 80 countries. The company operates through several segments, including:
- Pharmaceuticals: Prescription products, specialty therapeutics
- Consumer Health
- Crop Science
- Animal Health
Unbeknownst to many, Bayer has a very dark history. Bayer was actually a core part of IG Farben, the company which put Hitler in power and paid for his campaign in 1933.
During World War II, IG Farben, i.e. Bayer, planned and ran the slave labor camp Auschwitz III, otherwise know as Monowitz. They used mostly Jewish inmates to work under harsh conditions in their chemical plant that was on site. Most of them died.
Bayer scientists also conducted medical and vaccine experiments in the Auschwitz concentration camp. source (https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/bayer)
Thanks to zero oversight from the FDA, the food and Drug Administration, who don't require long term human testing to determine the ramifications of consuming gene edited crops, there is virtually nothing to stop them.
While the world is sleeping, companies like Bayer will patent and distribute these GMO crops. Farmers have been saying it for year, Big corporations are taking over U.S. farmland.
Beyond simply selling a product, Bayer's agreement with Pairwise grants them access to a wealth of knowledge, intellectual property, and technological advancements, enhancing their position in the market.
Pairwise's patented gene editing platform allows for intricate gene edits, boasting the ability to make 17 precise adjustments in a single plant. For the mustard greens, the company targeted genes responsible for bitterness, anticipating a more appealing flavor profile.
HEALTH RAMIFICATIONS OF GENE EDITING CROPS
Despite these advancements, concerns have been raised regarding the safety of gene-edited greens. Critics suggest that these products may harbor unknown toxins or allergens, pointing to a lack of thorough evaluation.
Moreover, questions have been raised about the necessity of altering mustard greens' traditional taste profile.
Claire Robinson of GMWatch raises doubts about the motivation behind transforming these greens, questioning the potential loss of health benefits associated with their natural pungency.
Elsewhere in the world, gene-edited produce like tomatoes have made their debut.
As companies push forward with gene-editing technology, the debate over the safety and necessity of modified foods continues to unfold.
Bayer's collaboration with different companies to develop enhanced, genetically edited tomatoes further fuels the dire position we are in right now in terms of the future of our food supply.
Bayer's Role in WWII and the Auschwitz concentration Camp
One of the most important facts that is glossed over in history books, is that Hitler was put into power by BIG PHARM in 1933. (2)
Hitler's rise to power was not spontaneous. It was orchestrated by I.G. Farben.
What most people don't know is that I.G. Farben, a German chemical & pharmaceutical company, was the single largest donor to Hitler in 1933. In 1934 they donated 4,000,000 Raichmarks to Hitler.
I.G Farben was actually a conglomerate of Bayer Pharmaceuticals, BASF, and 3 other companies.
Auschwitz was divided into 3 camps: Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II, Auschwitz III . Auschwitz III, was a slave labour camp, managed by IG Farben, this camp was home to their synthetic fuel and rubber factory that "employed" up to 35,000 prisoners. At least 27,000 of them, the majority of them Jewish, died from harsh conditions.
Bayer wanted to test its medications on concentration camp inmates, and they also wanted free slave labor for their chemical plant, so they devised plans to build a factory & concentration camp in Auschwitz. This was planned out well before the war began. Auschwitz was only 1/3 a concentration camp, the rest of the vast complex was a factory where IG Farben manufactured zyklon B (synthetic gas), rubber, Medications. Tens of thousands of concentration camp inmates worked in the Auschwitz -Monowitz factory.
As you can see in the pictures below, the IG Farben factory in Auschwitz III, a portion of the factory remained operational after the war until this day.
IG Farben Auschwitz factory
During World War II, Bayer & SS doctors & scientists conducted experiments on Jewish, Russian & Gypsy concentration camp inmates. (SS doctors were considered to be professionally inferior compared to their Bayer counterparts) Many of these experiments were conducted under the auspices of Bayer.
Bayer actually tested their new antibiotics, drugs, and vaccines on concentration camp inmates. In fact, German scientists were expert virologists.
One example of Bayer testing happened at Buchenwald. On March 17, 1942, Gerhard Rose began testing the typhus vaccine on inmates at Buchenwald for Bayer. Inmates were infected with typhus and then injected with experimental vaccines. (4)
"Bayer was particularly active in Auschwitz. A senior Bayer official oversaw the chemical factory in Auschwitz III (Monowitz). Most of the experiments were conducted in Birkenau in Block 20, the women's camp hospital. There, Vetter and Auschwitz physicians Eduard Wirths and Friedrich Entress tested Bayer pharmaceuticals on prisoners who suffered from and often had been deliberately infected with tuberculosis, diphtheria, and other diseases." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/bayer
Holocaust Survivor Sues Bayer
In Holocaust survivor named Eva Mozes Kor sued Bayer for experiments performed on her in Auschwitz. She accused Bayer of collaborating in experiments as a form of research and development.
One Bayer scientist mentioned in the lawsuit was Dr Koenig who aided Mengele on experiments.
She lost the lawsuit.
Bayer had deep pockets and political connections which safeguarded them for their war crimes.
Holocaust Survivor Eva Mozes Sues Bayer for medical experiments
In 1999 Eva Mosez Kor, sued Bayer for carrying out grotesque medical experiments on concentration camp prisoners in co-operation with Nazi doctors such as Josef Mengele.
Eva and her sister were one of the 1,500 set of twins experimented upon by Joseph Mengele.
Eva Mozes Kor claimed that under Bayer's supervision she and her twin sister were bought from the Nazis and used as human guinea pigs.
She alleged that she was deliberately infected with a series of diseases 'to test the effectiveness of various drugs manufactured by Bayer.'
The lawsuit alleges that her kidneys never developed fully as a result of the experiments, her sister died after years of ill health.
'It's impossible to put on a scale the various horrors of the Holocaust, but this case represents the worst example of individual and corporate evil that the legal system may ever see,' said Irwin Levin, one of the lawyers that handled the case.
The lawsuit alleges that, as well as co-operating with Mengele, Bayer - then part of the I. G. Farben industrial empire - gave orders to an SS surgeon who also carried out experiments.
Ms Kor has claimed that Bayer 'monitored and supervised those experiments, and used them as a form of research and development for its corporate benefit.'
"After 54 years, it is time that Bayer takes responsibility for their actions,' she said. 'That means that they should give proper restitution, say they are sorry for what they have done and say they will never use another human being as a guinea pig. This represents the worst example of individual and corporate evil' 'After 54 years it is time that Bayer takes responsibility for its actions.'
In her attempt to bring Bayer to justice, Eve lost the lawsuit. She passed away in 2019.
Powered by a never-give-up attitude, Eva was a community leader, champion of human rights, and tireless educator.
Bayer and the Development of Heroine
It is not widely known that one of the most notorious drugs of our time, heroine, was actually developed and manufactured by Bayer. In 1898, Bayer & Co. introduced heroin as a pain reliever and cough suppressant. The company packaged and sold the drug in bottles. Its amber glass and colorful label presented the newly commercialized product “Heroin” to customers as an effective, safe treatment. While stronger and cheaper than morphine, heroin is also more addictive.
Bayer promoted heroin use in children for colds and coughs up until 1912.
Bayer and Cancer Causing Roundup
In the last few years, thousands of lawsuits have been filed against Bayer in the U.S., totaling around 165,000 claims that allege that their Roundup herbicide (active ingredient glyphosate) caused cancer and other personal injuries.
It has paid about $10 billion while thousands of claims linger in court.
As of April, Bayer has been lobbying lawmakers in three states to pass bills awarding them a legal shield which would protect them from all future lawsuits in the United States
In fact, Nearly identical bills introduced in Iowa, Missouri and Idaho this year - with wording supplied by Bayer - would protect all pesticide companies from claims they failed to warn that their product causes cancer.
But legal experts warn the legislation could have broader consequences - extending to any product liability claim. Critics say it could spread nationwide.
"It's just not good government to give a company immunity for things that they're not telling their consumers," said Matt Clement, a Jefferson City, Missouri, attorney who represents people suing Bayer. "If they're successful in getting this passed in Missouri, I think they'll be trying to do this all over the country."
Bayer is attempting to make chemical and pesticide companies immune from all injury lawsuits, in essence overturing the whole court system.
Vaccine manufacturers are already immune from lawsuits, all claims against them are handled by the government in federal court specifically made for vaccines, with most cases dismissed before ever being able to make it to court. Now, pesticide companies are asking for immunity as well.
Why should they get special treatment after making billions off of products like Roundup despite knowing the risks and dangers to human health?
Should we Trust Bayer with the Future of our Food Supply?
I think we all know the answer to this. The question is how to stop them.
GMOs are very hard to contain. Once they are developed and planted, their seeds contaminate nearby fields. Maintaining real non GMO seeds is a hard enough process now, in just a few years, it will be almost impossible.
How do we preserve the Genetic integrity of our food supply?
1) We have to start by boycotting GMO foods
2) Get to know local and national farmers committed to non GMO farming
3) buy land and farm for yourself
4) Avoid Processed Foods which are contaminated with GMOs (about 70% of supermarket shelves)
5) support small companies that you know and trust that are truly committed to GMO free foods and avoid big food manufacturers where money is the bottom line.
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