From Farm to Fork: Navigating Glyphosate in our Food System

Glyphosate.

Not my favorite topic, because it can be upsetting when you take into consideration the expansive exposure we all have to this chemical, as well as other chemicals, in our food system.

But awareness is important … so we can all make better choices when shopping. 

Glyphosate is a chemical made by Bayer/Monsanto Company, and it is the most prevalent herbicide used on our crops.  You may know its commercial name - RoundUp Weed Killer.  

Unfortunately, glyphosate seems to be everywhere - our soil, our water, our air, our food, and in our bodies.  It’s nearly impossible to completely avoid.  

Even organic foods may have glyphosate, typically occurring when organic farms are close to conventional farms using herbicides and pesticides. 

The World Health Organization in 2016 declared glysophate “probably carcinogenic” - but the EPA has yet to declare it unsafe.  

However, the Bayer Company is finally (this year) taking Roundup off the residential lawn and garden market due to hefty lawsuits against the company filed by people contracting non-hodgkin lymphoma after regular use of Roundup.  Bayer cited the risks to farmworkers and consumers from exposure to this toxic pesticide as the primary reason for the decision.    

However, the commercial market is a different matter. Glyphosate continues to be the most widely used pesticide in the US - often sprayed on crops, including the wheat crop, right before harvest.  Bottomline, this leads to high levels of contamination in our food system. 

Environmental Working Group’s scientists  (ewg.org - an advocacy group that conducts comprehensive studies on all consumer products, and is a great resource for us) have found shockingly high levels in popular foods like cereal, hummus, lentils, and oats.  

So if you think through the impact … 

- our fresh non-organic produce most likely has glyphosate
- all wheat and grain products - crackers, bread, cereals, pizza dough, oats, and pasta contains glyphosate 
- Our corn and soy crops are sprayed with glyphosate, so high fructose corn syrup, and vegetable/soy/corn/canola oils which show up in so many products on the shelf … has glyphosate as well.     

When you eat a McDonald’s hamburger, fries and soda  - for example (and sorry to rain on your parade on this one, you’re exposed to glyphosate through:

- The meat  - made from conventionally raised cows who eat corn and soy

- The bun - made from our conventional wheat crops

- The french fries - fried in industrial seed oils containing glysophate, plus the potato itself

- The ketchup and the soda, which contain high fructose corn syrup

The impact of glyphosate is particularly worrisome among children … especially given that children seem to have a higher level of glyphosate in their bodies.  The glyphosate ingested through our food system delivers a much higher load on developing bodies and brains.

I cringe when I think through the typical snacks that many of us gave our children … even when we thought we were making healthier choices:

Think …. Honey Nut Cheerios, Goldfish, granola bars (Nature Valley brand has particularly high levels), crackers, chips …

So let's think about action steps …

First, it's important to remember that it is virtually impossible to be a perfect avoider of glyphosate.  We can’t stress about it … but if we’re more aware and mindful of making better choices, when possible, that can go a long way.  

It gives us a measure of control. 

Whenever possible, buy organic.  This is important across a wide range of products.

✅ Organic fruits and vegetables

Just as an FYI, the most heavily contaminated produce in order (multiple detected pesticides) is:

Strawberries, kale, spinach, collards, mustard greens, peaches, pears, nectarines, apples, grapes, bell and hot peppers, cherries, blueberries, and green beans.  

Read more about this list of contaminated fruit and vegetables HERE.

✅ Organic Hummus and Lentils

Conventional chickpeas and lentils carry a high glysophate load, so always try to buy organic hummus and organic lentils.  

✅ Organic flour, organic cereals and oats, organic crackers, organic pasta

When it comes to pasta, I always try to buy organic, and if I can’t find organic I try to buy pasta from Italy.  In 2016 the Italian government banned the use of glyphosate as a pre-harvest treatment.  

Additionally, pasta labeled as 100% Made in Italy must use Italian grown wheat.  If a label reads “Made in Italy” (without the 100%) - it implies that it was manufactured in Italy,  but not all ingredients are from Italy.  Italy imports a lot of wheat from Canada (which also uses glyphosate for harvesting). 

So buying pasta that is 100% made in Italy offers a significant improvement vs. US made pasta. However, Italian farmers are still allowed to clear fields with glyphosate before sowing and treat stored grain with insecticide … so it's still potentially not totally glysophate free, but much better than other alternatives.

For those with access to Trader Joes or a Whole Foods, they do sell Organic All Purpose Flour, and have a few options of organic crackers, cereals and oats.

If you don’t have easy access to those stores, or similar stores that offer a variety of organic options, you can check out the online market, Thrive Market.

Thrive is an online store that is committed to providing quality, sustainability and affordability.  They provide a wide range of products (packaged goods to meat/seafood to herbs/spices to organic wine to skin care and household items) and every product is screened for health and quality. The shopping process if very transparent and enjoyable - it's easy to read ingredients, and another big plus - excellent prices. 

✅ Look for the Glysophate Free Label

An organization called detoxproject.org is evaluating many products and providing a package seal if the product meets standards.  You can click HERE to see their list of certified products.  

While this labeling is not comprehensive, they are building and will continue to be a good consumer resource as they continue to evaluate products.

✅ Wash your Produce well

Fill up a big bowl of cold water in your sink, and add a teaspoon of baking soda (to every 2 cups of water approximately).  Let the fruit or vegetables soak for at least 15 minutes, then rinse, and dry off with a paper towel.  

Awareness of this environmental and health challenge will enable us to be better consumers  for ourselves and our families.  

Every little bit of avoidance of this chemical in our diets helps to minimize our overall toxic load - critically important to maintaining our health into our future.  

If you have any questions at all about this, please reach out.