Monsanto is Using Our Kids to Perpetuate Their GMO Lies!

Monsanto is up to no good and they are preying on sweet innocent children and families to perpetuate their evil scheme.

Let me explain … Like many of the little girls living in LA my 7 year old Sabrina dreams of being on Television.  So after much begging and pleading I agreed that if we found an agent willing to represent her we would give her acting career a shot.

We found an agent.  And he’s a great agent who is willing to work with my strict criteria.  I am very picky about the projects that I will accept for Sabrina so there will be plenty of opportunities where our agent could make a nice commission that we will not even consider.  Commercials can be a very lucrative business and it can be very tempting to do a job no matter what the product is when it could mean you never have to worry about college funding.

But as you know, I teach my girls the importance of integrity. So I will not endorse a product I would not use.

Imagine my shock when I received a casting notice yesterday for a commercial for Monsanto!

Monsato Casting Notice

 

Now in all fairness this did not come from her agent.  All actors on the agency roster are listed on a website for public submissions.  This is a website where anyone  can sign up and receive public casting notices such as these.

So many things bother me about this it’s hard to contain my anger.

I won’t get into the money being offered which frankly is an insult. A session fee 0f $500 with a $4,500 usage fee plus your agent’s fee covered may not seem like a lot of money and honestly I would love to put that money into Sabrina Coogan account. But this is for a national spot that will air on TV and the web for 3 to 5 years!  And I am certain it will air a lot!  Royalty payments on a spot with this kind of exposure could easily pay for college and then some.  So the money in an of itself is abusive.

Since this is a public notice Monsanto is casting a wide net to ensure they will lure many children into their trap.  And because they are looking for your average everyday kid  hundreds if not thousands of innocent children, moms and dads will submit their profile for a chance to audition.

My little Sabrina fits the bill perfectly!  And because she is considered “ethnically ambiguous” she is even more desirable.

SabrinaWelcome

Kids and families that will be portrayed in these spots will be your every day families… that will look just like you and me… wholesome, happy, healthy families … Innocently perpetuating the lie that there is absolutely nothing wrong with consuming genetically engineered or modified foods.

So let me ask a simple question:

If genetically modified and genetically engineered foods are truly harmless then what’s the problem with GMO labeling? Seriously, an honest company has no problem with transparency. In fact an honest company not only welcomes but insists on complete transparency.

But Monsanto does not want GMO labeling laws to be put into place because they know that if we know there are GMO or GE ingredients in our food we will not purchase or consume it.

But we are no fools Monsanto!

It’s clear that more and more Americans are becoming aware of  the devastating impact of GE and GM foods on our health and they are saying “NO MORE”.  With two states (Vermont and Oregon) having recently passed mandatory labeling laws Monsanto is pulling out the big guns:  our kids!  They are trying to pull our heart string and reach us with the one thing we are most passionate about.

But don’t be fooled — They are going after our kids and pulling our heart strings because they realize they are going to loose this battle.

So I beg you, don’t be a pawn Monsanto’s evil game.  If you’ve received a casting notice such as this one please say no!

Our children are our most precious resource and the key to a healthy future. Help me spread the word so that when these commercials start to air no one will be fooled by them but all will see how manipulative Monsanto really is.

Comments

  1. I see your point – I wouldn’t let me kids do it either.

  2. I would be infuriated as well. In fact, I am because the more I read and learn about GMOs the LESS I want them in my food … but it would be even worse when it’s YOUR child they are trying to “use”! It is SO wrong that they are fighting against labeling because your point is exactly the reason they are. It will mean the death of their business and profits. Hopefully people will continue spreading the word and more voters will stand up to this.

    • It is encouraging that voters are daring to stand up to companies like Monsanto more and more Anne. But the more widespread the news becomes about the ill effects of GMO’s the harder Monsanto will fight back. So we need to stand firm and support each other because the stakes are much too high if we don’t

  3. Oh wow! I am so glad to hear you are standing your ground on this one, you know how I feel about GMOs!!!!

    • I do Kim and thank you! It’s troubling that too many people still don’t understand the real impact of GMO’s in our food and will be fooled into believing they are completely safe with commercial like this one. Very sad.

  4. How douchey of them to do this.

    • Haha great way to put it Lisa… Sadly I think they know quite well that many people are still ignorant about the harm GMO’s inflict upon us and will be all too happy to be a part of a national commercial for such a big name!

  5. It sickens me with the new lows Monsanto keeps going to!

    • It is simply an act of desperation Alison. Crazy though, and very sad because they will most likely succeed in making their commercials and thousands will be confused at best about the consequences of GMOs.

  6. It is not a mystery that Monsanto is bad news. Countless documentaries and news shows have broadcast this fact. They are the Goliath of the food industry and people like you are the David’s.

    • Aww Thank you Tim! I like being a “David” of the industry. It is amazing how many people are still in the dark about GMO’s with the amount of information there is out there but when companies such as Monsanto reciprocate with “scientific evidence” that the claims made in these films are false, people are justifiably confused.

  7. Good luck with her casting. I’m glad you have the choice to work with the companies you want.

    • Thanks Jennifer. I wouldn’t help her pursue acting if I didn’t have the ability to pick and choose which companies she can work with. After 25 years in the industry as an editor I know personally the importance of being selective. It certainly limits our options but she’s worked on some really sweet projects for Sesame Street and a new company that does short films with good family value centered stories 🙂

  8. Valerie,I take your point regarding GMOs and am very much against them whether labelled or not. I wish people would extend the logic to junk food but sadly most will not

  9. uggggghhhhh!!! I cannot stand Monsanto. I love all the GMO awareness going around though and I love to be a part of spreading it. great post and adorable child 🙂

    • Thanks Cindy 🙂 I’m with you on the Monsanto side of things but the fact that they are taking this approach tells me that our grass root efforts to spread the TRUTH about GMO’s and GE’s is having a huge impact and more and more of us are choosing products that are truly wholesome and do not contain any genetically altered or engineered ingredients.. and we are making these choices in our homes as well as with our foods. 🙂

  10. At least you were able to find out beforehand since it compromises your beliefs. I’m glad their name was attached to the project.

    • I am glad their name was on the casting notice as well Liz. That is not often the case. Quite a few companies that are about to launch a big campaign will post anonymously and everyone who auditions has to sign a non-disclosure agreement.

  11. Valerie – I commend you for sticking to your guns. I so agree with everything you say about Monsanto. I live in a rural area and its impossible for farmers to buy non-altered seed, so even if food is grown organically, they start off wrong. I am so glad that people are becoming more aware of what’s being put in our food and not liking it. Keep up the good work.
    Lenie

    • Thank you Lenie. It breaks my heart to read what you share about the farmers not being able to buy non-altered seed but this is exactly the kind of information we need to share. Monsanto does not have our well being at heart.They are concerned about one thing and one thing only… filling up their already overflowing coffers. I’m encouraged by the recent wins in Vermont and Oregon. Monsanto may have deep pockets but we have heart!

  12. I applaud you for keeping your integrity and turning down the commercial. I believe people (general public) need to be better informed about GMO and GE ingredients in our food. I’ll be honest, sometimes I don’t even want to eat anything because I’m sickened by the way our food is handled, I’m sickened that it’s ok to modify foods just to mass-produce to make more money. I’m just sick of the entire process. Thanks for putting your foot down.

  13. Ugh. This is so frustratingly sad. Thank you for sharing.

    • It is frustrating Rachel, but what it also tells me is that Monsanto is feeling the pressure that people like you and me is putting on the food industry as we choose to stay away from GE and GM foods and choose to patronized our local farmers instead 🙂

  14. Totally see your point and I’m glad to hear you have strict criteria for what you’ll accept for your daughter.

    • Thanks Mel! It’s too easy to cast aside values and think “it’s just a job and that money will turn into a lot more by the time she goes to college.” But then, what would I be teaching her? I’d much rather wait for the right opportunity and I know there are plenty 🙂

  15. It’s definitely important to only let your children represent something you believe in. I don’t blame you one bit for not allowing her to do that!

    • Thank you Shell. I agree, if I’m not going to use the product, there is no way my daughter is going to get paid to tell everyone else in the world that this product is safe or desirable, whatever that product may be 🙂

  16. Ill be perfectly honest in that I only know the gist of what Montastano is and not much more. I think of acting as acting…so I am probably not the best person to ask on this.

    • IN a nutshell Trisha, Monsanto is the biggest supplier of genetically modified seeds. They are making it close to impossible for farmers committed to raising 100% organic crops to do so. As for acting, I completely respect your position. For me though, I think that when you are in a commercial, endorsing and promoting a product it has to be a product you would consume yourself. And when it comes to GMO’s I keep them as far from my family’s diet as I possibly can.

  17. Applause to your for taking a stand and doing what you feel is right.

  18. I think you are awesome for not selling out! There will be other work that will come along, your daughter is darling.

    • Thank you Tiff!!! It’s so easy to let ourselves be tempted by the money but how could I let my daughter tell millions of people that GMO foods are perfectly safe to eat when I don’t believe that myself. It’s my responsibility to teach her to be socially responsible 🙂

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