Do we like them?

Do we like Monsanto?

Agrochemical and GM seed maker (Roundup, glyphosate), founded 1901 in St. Louis; now part of Bayer.

Our score: 2 out of 10. No. Decades of PCB, Agent Orange and Roundup cancer claims, and billions in settlements. Bayer says Roundup is safe, but we wouldn't back it.

Monsanto began in 1901 in St. Louis. Over the century it moved from chemicals into seeds and the weedkiller Roundup. Bayer bought it in a $66bn all-cash deal that closed on 7 June 2018. Sources differ on whether the Monsanto name was fully retired, since some product brands stayed.

The old baggage is heavy. Monsanto made PCBs until 1977, and the PCB contamination in Anniston, Alabama is reported to have led to a $700m settlement. It was also a major Agent Orange producer, and it settled with US veterans out of court in 1984.

Today's trouble is Roundup. In February 2026 Bayer proposed a settlement of up to $7.25bn for current and future non-Hodgkin lymphoma claims. The deal still needs approval from a St. Louis court. Bayer says decades of studies show glyphosate is safe.

Our score is low because of the long list of legal fights over products that hurt people or places. We found nothing in our searches that offsets them.