Avoid Buying Fake Supplements
December 7, 2022By Stacey Munro, N.D.
Glyphosate, commonly sold as RoundUp, is a widely used herbicide used in conventional farming. Besides its use as weed control for genetically modified (GMO) crops, glyphosate is also sprayed on non-GMO oats, corn, beans, chickpeas, lentils, and barley, just before harvest. Glyphosate kills the plants, so they can be harvested sooner, rather than having to wait until they die naturally.
Glyphosate has been linked to many health problems, including cancer. It has been shown to be associated with lower birth weight and shorter pregnancies. Newer research connects glyphosate consumption and the development of metabolic and liver disease in children, which leads to diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in life.
In 2019, thanks to leadership from the Environmental Working Group www.EWG.org, major food manufacturers and retailers worked together to reduce glyphosate use as a pre-harvesting agent. Studies done in 2023 showed that residue levels have in fact gone down since 2019 in many infant cereals and other oat-based products.
The best way to avoid glyphosate is to eat certified organically grown foods. Organic food regulations prohibit the use of synthetic pesticides/herbicides. Therefore, GMO and non-GMO foods that are treated with glyphosate either as an herbicide or pre-harvest agent, can not be certified organic.
In order to avoid glyphosate, you would need to purchase organic grains and cereals, beans, chickpeas, and lentils, and avoid GMO’s.
Corn is a common GMO crop
The EWG produces a list every year of produce items to prioritize buying organic vs non-organic fruits and vegetables that contain the least amount of pesticide residues. This can be found online at EWG.org and is known as the “Dirty Dozen and Clean 15”. It is a helpful resource when trying to decide which foods to spend the extra money to buy organic.
