Monsanto is once again facing a lawsuit over one of its many controversial products.
Two nonprofit groups, Beyond Pesticides and Organic Consumers Association, have filed a lawsuit against the mega agribusiness company, alleging that the company’s weedkiller, Roundup, has “misleading” labeling.
The weedkiller is labeled as “target[ing] an enzyme found in plants but not in people or pets.” According to the lawsuit this statement is “false, deceptive and misleading” because the enzyme targeted by glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, “in fact, is found in people and pets.”
The two groups filed the lawsuit in Washington DC last Friday through their attorneys at Richmond law Group. The case is Beyond Pesticides et al v Monsanto Co. et al. and is under the District of Columbia’s Consumer Protection Procedures Act.
According to Jay Feldman, executive director of Beyond Pesticides, “The unequivocal nature of Monsanto’s label claim on Roundup belies the complexity of human biology and the impact this highly toxic chemical has on the functioning of the human gut bacteria, essential to our health. With this claim, Monsanto is falsely telling the public that its product cannot hurt them.”
Organic Consumer Association international director, Ronnie Cummins stated that, “Corporations must be held to a high standard when it comes to the information they include on product labels, especially when it comes to the issue of safety.
For decades, Monsanto has used false labeling claims to dupe consumers into believing that they can spray Roundup on their yards and in their gardens, without risk to themselves, their children or their pets. It’s time for the courts to step in.”
The main portion of the complaint asserts the Monsanto continues to claim that Roundup is safe for people and animals, even though evidence has been linking glyphosate to cancer as well as human and animal cardiovascular, endocrine, nervous, and reproductive system problems.
The groups are asking for equitable relief on behalf of the general public. They as that “all profits earned by Monsanto for sales of Roundup in D.C. to be deposited into a charitable fund for the raising of consumer awareness of the effects of glyphosate.”
You can read the entire complaint here.
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