Soon There May Be Less Glyphosate, aka Weed Killer, in Your Dinner
The FDA will start testing foods for this chemical, a possible carcinogen
The next time you down a glass of milk or whip up scrambled eggs, think about this: There might be weed killer hiding in your food. But that could soon change.
The herbicide glyphosate is one farmers use most often on their crops, especially genetically modified crops, to kill weeds. Last year cancer experts at the World Health Organization (WHO) declared it a possible carcinogen. A 2013 study linked glyphosate to a range of health problems including cancer, Parkinson’s disease and infertility. Now, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it plans to start testing certain foods for glyphosate residue.
FDA spokeswoman Lauren Sucher told the food news outlet Civil Eats the agency would start testing for glyphosate this year. “The agency is now considering assignments for Fiscal Year 2016 to measure glyphosate in soybeans, corn, milk, and eggs, among other potential foods,” she said.
Soybeans and corn are common ingredients in many food products, and the genetically modified versions are “herbicide-friendly,” as United States Department of Agriculture calls them.
In 2014, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) scolded the FDA, saying its approach to monitoring pesticide residue had limitations. GAO said the FDA didn’t perform nearly enough tests and kept that fact from the public.
From the GAO’s report:
“For example, in 2012, FDA tested less than one-tenth of 1 percent of imported shipments. Further, FDA does not disclose in its annual monitoring reports that it does not test for several commonly used pesticides with an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established tolerance (the maximum amount of a pesticide residue that is allowed to remain on or in a food)—including glyphosate, the most used agricultural pesticide.”
The FDA’s response? It would cost too much money to obtain and test such a wide array of products. Which is why the recent announcement about a change in plans was welcome news to many.
“In the wake of intense scrutiny, the Food and Drug Administration has finally committed to taking this basic step of testing our food for the most commonly used pesticide,” said Nathan Donley, PhD, a scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity, in a press release. “More and more scientists are raising concerns about the effects of glyphosate on human health and the environment. With about 1.7 billion pounds of this pesticide used each year worldwide, the FDA’s data is badly needed to facilitate long-overdue conversations about how much of this chemical we should tolerate in our food.”
Some states are trying to force foods made with GMOs to say so on the label. In fact, one such law in Vermont goes into effect this year. However, the House of Representatives passed a federal bill blocking states from requiring GMO labels on food. Proponents of the bill said GMO labeling should be done on a federal level.
One way avoid pesticide residues is to buy products labeled USDA Organic. These foods are allowed to be grown with the aid of certain pesticides, but they're not allowed to contain GMOs.