If the Author of Food Politics Has Ties to Monsanto, Shouldn't Readers Know?

From the Organic Consumers Association's newsletter:

Frances Moore Lappé is taking on the Oxford University Press, publisher of Food Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know, after learning that not only is the book full of unsubstantiated claims - no citations whatsoever - but its author, Robert Paarlberg, was an advisor to the CEO of Monsanto. Lappé is asking people to tell the esteemed academic publisher that conflicts of interests such as Paarlberg's relationship to Monsanto should be revealed to readers, as should the fact that the Gates Foundation, which supported Paarlberg's work, is a Monsanto shareholder.

On April 25, Lappé will deliver a petition to Oxford University Press in Oxford, England. The petition asks that the University's Press uphold three basic standards (none of which were met by Food Politics): citations for evidence-based claims, full disclosure of potential conflicts of interest (whether financial or other associations), and accurate promotion of publications.

In an article published this week, Lappé says: "We believe our appeal goes to the very heart of democracy itself; for, absent transparency and commitment to evidence-based argument (impossible if authors provide no sources for claims!) democracy's lifeblood - open, fair dialogue - drains away."

Read the Entire Article Here

Sign the Petition Here