Glyphosate, the active ingredient in the popular herbicide Roundup, has been linked to Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in humans. People who are diagnosed with Non- Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a very deadly form of cancer, have already won several lawsuits against Bayer, the manufacturer of Roundup. A $2 billion verdict was awarded in one of the lawsuits.
With the new public awareness about the dangers of glyphosate, there has growing concern about the presence of this harmful chemical in the country’s food supply. Roundup is used on a wide variety of crops, including wheat, soybeans, barley, oats, lentils, peas, canola, corn, flax, alfalfa, rye, triticale, sugar beets, cotton, buckwheat, potatoes and millet.
Glyphosate accumulates mostly in the bones of animals. Researchers have found glyphosate in the bones of animals who have been fed foods containing glyphosate. This means that glyphosate can end up in any stocks or bone broths you make with these bones, according to Bulletproof Blog.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released estimates of what percent of each crop in the U.S. is treated with glyphosate. The most alarming results included:
- 100% of soybeans
- 90% of oranges
- 85% of almonds
- 85% of figs
- 85% of grapefruits
- 85% of pistachios
The EPA provided estimates for 70 different crops; 0 of the crops were given a 0% estimate.
A 2018 Canadian Food Inspection Agency report found that 30% of foods tested by Canadian officials contained glyphosate.
Studies About Glyphosate In Food
Environmental Working Group (EWG) tested oat-based products in 2018 and found glyphosate in 43 of the 45 conventional products tested and 5 out of the 16 organic products tested. Thirty-one of the products tested exceeded the threshold for maximum glyphosate content as measured by EWG. EWG conducted follow-up testing as well in 2018, testing 28 different oat-based foods marketed to children. All 28 foods contained glyphosate; 26 of the 28 had levels of glyphosate that EWG considers unhealthy. One sample tested had almost 18 times as much glyphosate as EWG considers healthy.
Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG) tested five wines and 15 beers in 2019, finding glyphosate in 19 of the 20 products. Glyphosate was found in several of the products which were labeled as organic.
Anresco Laboratories tested various snack and cereal products in 2016. They found glyphosate in products such as Lay’s Kettle Cooked Original Potato Chips, corn-based Doritos Cool Ranch, Wheaties, oat-based Cheerios, Corn Flakes and Whole Grain Cheez-Its. They found glyphosate in 29 of the 41 products they tested.
Moms Across America tested 21 samples of drinking water from all across the United States. 13 of the 21 samples tested positive for glyphosate. The organization warns that even organic products can contain glyphosate, noting that organic garbanzo beans, chickpeas and lentils have been found to be contain glyphosate contamination. The organization has also found glyphosate in almond milk, vegetarian burgers, various breads, peanut butter, “100% Natural” Lipton tea and 9 out of 10 samples of hummus.
How much glyphosate is safe to ingest?
The answer appears to be likely none. A study published in 2017 found an association between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and regular, small doses of glyphosate in rats. Currently, there is no U.S. labeling requirement to alert consumers to the presence of glyphosate in processed food, dairy, fruit and vegetables.
