Foodsecurity.net

Foodsecurity.net promotes itself as 'the web's most complete source of news and information about global food security concerns and sustainable agricultural practices'.

Foodsecurity.net also claims to be 'an independent, non-profit coalition of people throughout the world'. Despite its global reach, however, Foodsecurity.net's only named staff member is its 'African Director', Dr. Michael Mbwille, a Tanzanian doctor who pens articles defending Monsanto and attacking the likes of Greenpeace.

The news and information at Foodsecurity.net is largely pro-GM articles, often vituperative in content and boasting headlines like The Villainous Vandana Shiva (Vandana Shiva is an Indian environmentalist strongly critical of the biotech industry) or Altered Crops Called Boon for Poor.

However, when one penetrates beyond the news pages, the content is very limited. At one time a single message graced the messageboard posted by an myoung@bivwood.com - the domain name of The Bivings Group, an internet PR company that numbers Monsanto among its clients. There was also an event posting from an Andura Smetacek, an e-mail front used by Monsanto to run a campaign of character assassination against its scientific and environmental critics.

Here is the contact on the Foodsecurity.net website registration

Forrer, Graydon (GFU95) grady@FOODSECURITY.NET

Foodsecurity.net, Inc

750 17th street NW suite 1100

Washington , DC 20006

202 778 2340

Graydon Forrer is the managing director of Life Sciences Strategies, a company that specializes in 'communications programmes' for the bio-science industries. A piece of information that is not usually disclosed in Graydon Forrer's self-presentation is that he was previously Monsanto's director of executive communications. Indeed, he seems to have been working for the company in 1999 - the same year the site of this 'independent, non-profit coalition of people throughout the world' was first registered.

Foodsecurity's 'African Director', Dr. Mbwille, is not always in Africa. In 2002 he was enjoying a sabbatical observing medical practice in St. Louis, Missouri - the home town of the Monsanto Corporation.