Glyphosate, an active chemical ingredient in many herbicides used by farmers throughout the United States, is contaminating food products and exposing a vast percent of Americans to this chemical. Relying heavily on herbicides, farmers are able to target weeds because glyphosate-resistant crops effectively block an enzyme essential for plant growth.
While regulatory agencies around the world, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), have set high acceptable exposure limits, continuous research shows glyphosate at these levels have caused cancer, birth defects and learning disabilities in humans, while having a negative impact on the ecosystem.
As the volume of glyphosate applied to crops has increased 100-fold since its introduction to the market in 1974, Americans’ exposure to the chemical has broadened, Consumer Notice reported. A study conducted by the CDC in 2022 confirmed 81% of Americans have had recent exposure to glyphosate.
A study conducted by Environmental Working Group concentrated on the presence of glyphosate in certain foods and revealed that it was present in more than 95 percent of popular oat-based food samples. Those products included:
- Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch (833 ppb)
- Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars, Maple Brown Sugar (566 ppb)
- Nature Valley Granola Cups, Almond Butter (529 ppb)
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheerios (400 ppb)
- Nature Valley Baked Oat Bites (389 ppb)
- Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars, Oats and Honey (320 ppb)
- Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars, Peanut Butter (312 ppb)
- Nature Valley Granola Cups, Peanut Butter Chocolate (297 ppb)
- Nature Valley Fruit & Nut Chewy Trail Mix Granola Bars, Dark Chocolate Cherry (275 ppb)
- Nature Valley Protein Granola, Oats and Dark Chocolate (261 ppb)
- Multi Grain Cheerios (216 ppb)
- Nature Valley Soft-Baked Oatmeal Squares, Blueberry (206 ppb)
- Fiber One Soft-Baked Cookies, Oatmeal Raisin (204 ppb)
- Nature Valley Granola, Peanut Butter Creamy & Crunchy (198 ppb)
- Nature Valley Biscuits with Almond Butter (194 ppb)
As a way to avoid exposure, EWG suggests Americans should look for glyphosate residue free labels, buy organic produce and other food products whenever possible, and avoid using residential herbicides when growing food in a home garden.
Some of the safest foods to eat on EWG’s list of Clean Fifteen include:
- Sweet potatoes
- Avocados
- Sweet corn
- Pineapple
- Onions
- Papaya
- Sweet peas (frozen)
- Asparagus
- Honeydew melon
- Kiwi
- Cabbage
- Mushrooms
- Cantaloupe
- Mangoes
- Watermelon
While Roundup is the most widely used herbicide in the world, Bayer, the manufacturer of the herbicide, said it will stop selling the glyphosate-based weed killer in 2023 because of risks to farmworkers and consumers. The announcement came after the company was ordered to pay more than $80 million in damages to a Roundup lawsuit that alleged that the product caused a man’s non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Because of the negative health effects, scientists urge Americans to be informed about food products contaminated with the chemical and reduce exposure to glyphosate whenever possible.
Visit The Detox Project, a research and certification platform that encourages transparency in the food and supplement industries on the subject of toxic chemicals, for more information.
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