Glyphosate herbicide in Honey and Soy Sauce discovered by Pennsylvania Researchers

Researchers from Abraxis LLC and Boston University have further confirmed that the world's most used herbicide - glyphosate - is widespread in food products around the globe. The researchers tested honey, pancake and corn syrup, soy sauce, soy milk and tofu purchased in the Philadelphia, US metropolitan area.

Find the full published survey here

The minimum limit of quantification (LOQ) of the method were determined for honey, pancake syrup, and corn syrup to be 15 ppb; soy sauce, soy milk, and tofu 75 ppb. This means that even if the results were negative for some products they could have also contained glyphosate at levels under the minimum limit.

Glyphosate residues above the minimum limit of quantification were not found in pancake and corn syrup, soy milk, and tofu.

However, the most shocking results were found in honey:

Of the sixty-nine honey samples analyzed, forty-one samples, or fifty-nine percent (59%), had glyphosate concentrations above the method LOQ (15 ppb), with a concentration range between 17 and 163 ppb and a mean of 64 ppb.

Even more surprisingly five of the eleven organic honey samples, or forty-five percent (45%), contained glyphosate concentrations above the method LOQ, with a range of 26 to 93 ppb and a mean of 50 ppb.

Of the fifty-eight non-organic honey samples, thirty-six samples, or sixty-two percent (62%), contained glyphosate concentrations above the method LOQ, with a range of 17 to 163 ppb and a mean of 66 ppb.

Sustainable Pulse Director Henry Rowlands reacted Thursday to the published results;

"This sad news shows just how widespread glyphosate is in our food. With the increase in GM crops being cultivated worldwide it is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid. If you ask anyone if they feel there should be 'allowed' levels of toxic chemicals such as glyphosate in their bodies the answer will of course always be 'No'. It is a fact that the scientific and regulatory process cannot evidence 'safe' levels for these chemicals."

In addition to comparison of production method (organic vs. conventional), the honey results were evaluated according to pollen source and by country of origin, grouped by GMO usage (prohibited, limited, or permitted). The results showed that honey from countries that permit GM crops contained far more glyphosate than honey from countries which limit or prohibit the cultivation of GM crops, with the levels in the U.S. by far the highest.

Glyphosate concentrations above the method LOQ (75 ppb) were also found in ten of the twenty-eight soy sauce samples evaluated (36%), with a concentration range between 88 and 564 ppb and a mean of 242 ppb; all organic soy sauce samples tested were below the method LOQ.

Glyphosate has also been found in American women's breast milk and Kellogg's Froot Loops in recent tests. All of this research raises red flags that the FDA have ignored.

Despite testing for hundreds of pesticides in food commodities, the USDA does not test for glyphosate residues. Why would the USDA not test for residues of the most widely used herbicide in the world?

Comment: The USDA won't test for glyphosate residues it is too expensive (and pervasive)! Glyphosate, the most widely used pesticide in the world, is a Monsanto product and Monsanto controls the regulatory organizations in the U.S.

Monsanto's Deep Roots in Washington

If you've ever wondered how Monsanto - a company that admits it wants to own the world's food supply through its patented genetically engineered seeds - gets away with not having to label its products, all you have to do is follow the trail of money leading from their coffers into the pockets and campaign funds of well-placed politicians and regulators.

According to OpenSecrets.orgⁱ, Monsanto basically lives at the doorsteps of legislators in Washington, where it spent $5.3 million last year lobbying the nation's lawmakers, and has already spent $1.4 million in the first three months of this year. Needless to say, they can afford it. According to OpenSecrets.org, Monsanto had an annual revenue of $11.8 billion last year, so a $5.3 million lobbying investment is far less than one percent of one percent of their revenues.

The influence they're trying to buy doesn't stop in Congress, though. Monsanto's legislative agenda also includes the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); all of which have a say in whether or not you get to know whether the food you're eating has been genetically engineered.

Chomsky: We Are All – Fill in the Blank.

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