We were rather surprised to see a Monsanto webinar offered to dietitians by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Sports and Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition Dietetic Practice Group. The webinar -- which RDs can take for continuing education credit -- is titled Planting the Seeds for Paradigm Shift: Making More Plant-Based Diets Possible For All. Its especially odd considering that the majority of Monsanto crops are either used to feed cattle, make biofuel, or make byproducts (i.e.: soybean oil, high fructose corn syrup) that go into highly processed foods like soda, Doritos, and Lucky Charms. If the topic is making plant-based diets possible for all, why not tap into the many talented and knowledgeable plant-based dietitians that are part of AND, who can provide real-life expertise on the topic? We also wonder why a presentation on benefits and problems associated with the use of biotechnology only has one speaker with ties to Monsanto. In order to discuss benefits *and* problems, wouldnt it be best to have two speakers who can bring different perspectives on the same issue? Read more about the webinar here: scandpg.org/store/products/10291/?utm_source=Active+SCAN+Members+2014-2015&utm_campaign=0978d83b92-New+Webinar%2C+Stipends%2C+Grants%2C+Awards&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_dccee77cce-0978d83b92-297625001 FYI: We reached out to contacts at SCAN on December 5 to learn more about their decision to host this webinar, so we could also present their side. While our initial outreach received a reply, plans to further communicate for the purposes of this post went unanswered. We would be happy to update this post if and when we hear back. On a related note, we are much more concerned with the harmful environmental effects that often come with Monsantos agricultural practices. This new photo essay -- Argentina: The Country Monsanto Poisoned -- speaks volumes: overgrowthesystem/argentina-the-country-that-monsanto-poisoned-photo-essay/
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 16:45:42 +0000