Has Monsanto, the agribusiness controversial for its widely used herbicides, been banned in 15 locations?
A social media post listing 14 countries and a region in Portugal claims "Monsanto" has been banned there and poses the question, "Why not here?"
In fact, the company no longer exists under the name "Monsanto" since it was acquired in 2018 by German-based Bayer, best known for its health care products.
A company spokesperson told Lead Stories, "Bayer is not banned in any country."
The company now produces Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide. Glyphosate has been deemed "probably carcinogenic to humans" by the World Health Organization, although according to the FDA, the chemical compound "has a low toxicity for people."
The Bayer spokesperson told Lead Stories: "There are a few countries that have implemented country-wide restrictions on glyphosate, but these restrictions are politically driven and are not based on any new science or regulatory risk assessment showing glyphosate is unsafe."