The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has announced it is in the processing of approving an unfunded risk participation in Monsanto, the U.S.-based largest seed company in the world, to the tune of $40 million U.S. dollars.

A ban on planting genetically modified crops in France was annulled last week, shocking a nation that prides itself on being known as the world's gourmand with a focus on fresh and whole foods. The decision to overturn the ban came as the government cited a failure in being able to establish the reason for the rushed initial ban and the lack of any conclusive scientific evidence that genetically modified foods pose human health or environmental risks.