Hightower Lowdown

Monsanto Corpotation, now owned by the drug giant Pharmacia, has long conspired with politicians to doctor the DNA of our dinner in ways that have not been tested for health and environmental consequences. It then sells these Frankenfoods to us without labeling them, meaning we can't decide for ourselves whether we want our families to be their guinea pigs.

Thousands of food products already contain these GMOs—genetically modified organisms—including the humble potato used by many fast food and snack food companies. Monsanto took a gene from a microorganism and put it in the spud, causing it to produce a toxin. Trust us, they say, the genetic tampering and the toxin are safe—just don't make us label them.

But consumers are finding out about Monsanto's genetic games anyway, and they're in rebellion. The outcry has been loud enough to reach the ears of executives at McDonald's, who have quietly told their french fry suppliers to stop using Monsanto's altered potatoes. Likewise, J.R. Simplot Company, the nation's largest processor of french fries, as well as Frito-Lay and Proctor & Gamble, the makers of Pringles, are rejecting modified potatoes.

These food giants are learning that it's not nice to mess with Mother Nature . . . or with consumers. In supermarkets, restaurants, or wherever you buy food, be sure to ask if they're selling nature's own—or a Monsanto lab experiment.