Glyphosate and Your Food

Every year the USA uses almost 2 million tons of glyphosate. One of the world’s most popular herbicides, glyphosate works by preventing amino acids from forming vital proteins in broadleaf weeds and grasses, killing weeds while leaving desirable plants allegedly unharmed. Glyphosate has been used since 1974 and is found in brands like Roundup® and Rodeo, owned by Monsanto, now a division of Bayer.

Glyphosate is a controversial herbicide and, since 2015, has been listed as a possible human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research (IARC).Thousands of lawsuits in the United States and Europe have called the safety of glyphosate into question. Consumer advocates and private citizens allege that glyphosate may cause cancers like non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. As a consequence, many cities in the USA states have banned products containing glyphosate, as have 19 countries in the European Union. In 2024, Germany will become the 20th nation to completely ban the use of any product containing any trace of glyphosate.

Over 150 cities and municipalities in the US have banned or restricted the broad use of glyphosate-containing herbicides.

The EPA and FDA on Glyphosate

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was aware of a possible link between glyphosate and cancer as far back as 1981, while continuing to endorse the safety of glyphosate if used as directed. Even now, it remains detectable in the food chain.

Consider these issues concerning glyphosate:

• Glyphosate is detectable in ninety percent of processed grain foods in the US.
• Glyphosate lingers in soil, detectable for 6 months after application.
• Studies from 2015-20 purport a causal link between glyphosate and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

From 2016-19, the EPA used newly developed and more rigorous testing methods to investigate glyphosate contamination. Researchers examined corn, soybeans, eggs and milk for minute traces of glyphosate. They found 59 percent of corn and soy samples were positive for glyphosate in amounts within the FDA’s safety levels. Milk and egg samples showed no measurable quantity of glyphosate.

Glyphosate and Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

In the 90s, Monsanto developed and sold soybeans under the name “Roundup® Ready” that had been genetically altered to resist glyphosate, allowing farmers to use it much more broadly. Monsanto realized extraordinary financial benefit with this lucrative combination.

Settlements

In February 2021, Bayer-Monsanto, the owners of glyphosate, asked a court to approve a 2-billion-dollar settlement toward future glyphosate cancer lawsuits. In May 2021, a judge rejected that deal, as it also included a cap on any further claims after the 2-billion-dollar fund was exhausted. The judge ruled that a cap on claims would be too restrictive and ordered Bayer-Monsanto to present an amended proposal.

The connection with glyphosate to cancer is a multibillion-dollar question. The IARC ruling of 2015 identifying glyphosate as a “probable carcinogen” opened a floodgate of lawsuits. Over 42,000 plaintiffs have filed suit against Bayer-Monsanto for damages, alleging glyphosate in herbicides caused their cancer.

But does glyphosate really cause cancer?

In 2019, researchers at the University of Washington conducted a large meta-study and concluded that using glyphosates on a large scale, such as that of industrial agriculture, raises the risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma lymphoma by 41 percent. Other research studies that have accumulated large bodies of data from other studies also concluded that glyphosate has a causal link to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Avoiding glyphosate 

Completely avoiding the consumption of any amount of glyphosate, no matter how minuscule, is a challenge as it is so widely used in US agriculture. These tips can help reduce your exposure. 

1. Read food labels. When possible, pick foods that have the “non-GMO” label. Foods labeled “certified organic” are also less likely to have been exposed to glyphosate.
2. Rinse raw food products thoroughly before preparing or eating them. Peel off skins when you can.
3. Make sure you don’t have a local source of glyphosate contaminating your food. If you use weed killer on your lawn or in your garden, be sure it doesn’t contain glyphosate.
4. Grow your own vegetables. If you enjoy gardening, growing your own veggies is an ideal way to make sure your food has no trace of contaminants like glyphosate.

The future of glyphosate

The question of glyphosate and cancer won’t be conclusively answered in the immediate future, but Bayer has dropped the name “Monsanto” from its herbicide division and lost billions of dollars in market value due to the 2015 IARC ruling. Interestingly enough, Roundup® has brought a new product to US markets: Roundup® For Lawns, which contains no glyphosate.

Works Cited

• Bawa, A. S., & Anilakumar, K. R. (2013, December). Genetically modified foods: Safety, risks and public concerns-a review. Journal of food science and technology. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3791249/.
• Benbrook, C. M. (2019, January 14). How did the US EPA and IARC reach diametrically opposed conclusions on the Genotoxicity of Glyphosate-based herbicides? Environmental Sciences Europe. https://enveurope.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s12302-018-0184-7.
• Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. (n.d.). Questions and answers on glyphosate. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/food/pesticides/questions-and-answers-glyphosate.
• EFSA GMO Panel Working Group on Animal Feeding Trials (2008). Safety and nutritional assessment of GM plants and derived food and feed: the role of animal feeding trials. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association, 46 Suppl 1, S2–S70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2008.02.008
• Giesy J.P., Dobson S., Solomon K.R. (2000) Ecotoxicological Risk Assessment for Roundup® Herbicide. In: Ware G.W. (eds) Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. Reviews of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, vol 167. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-1156-3_2
• Hals, T., & Bellon, T. (2021, February 3). Bayer reaches $2 billion deal over FUTURE Roundup Cancer claims. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-bayer-glyphosate/bayer-reaches-2-billion-deal-over-future-roundup-cancer-claims-idUSKBN2A32MX.
• Henderson, A. M.; Gervais, J. A.; Luukinen, B.; Buhl, K.; Stone, D.; Cross, A.; Jenkins, J. 2010. Glyphosate General Fact Sheet; National Pesticide Information Center, Oregon State University Extension Services. http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/glyphogen.html. Retrieved August 4th, 2021
• Glyphosate. National Pesticide Information Center. (n.d.). Retrieved August 4th, 2020. http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/glyphogen.html.
• GM-Free Cymru . (2017, November 17). Monsanto and EPA knew of glyphosate cancer link in 1981. The Ecologist. https://theecologist.org/2015/jul/07/monsanto-and-epa-knew-glyphosate-cancer-link-1981.
• Moutot, A. (2019, March 28). Glyphosate : Nouveau revers judiciaire pour bayer. Les Echos. https://www.lesechos.fr/industrie-services/pharmacie-sante/glyphosate-monsanto-condamne-pour-la-deuxieme-fois-aux-etats-unis-1004371.
• Nebeker, R. (2021, July 26). Consumers are concerned about glyphosate residue. so why is it still in so many products? FoodPrint. https://foodprint.org/blog/glyphosate-residue-in-food/.
• Weisenburger, D. D. (2021, April 24). A review and update with perspective of evidence that the Herbicide glyphosate (Roundup) is a cause Of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Clinical Lymphoma Myeloma and Leukemia. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2152265021001518.
• Zhang, L., Rana, I., Shaffer, R. M., Taioli, E., & Sheppard, L. (2019, February 10). Exposure to glyphosate-based herbicides and risk for non-hodgkin lymphoma: A meta-analysis and supporting evidence. Mutation Research/Reviews in Mutation Research. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1383574218300887.