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A chemical used to kill weeds could be in your favorite wine or beer.
Traces of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup herbicide, a Monsanto herbicide, appear in wine and beer, according to a new report from the US Public Research Group Education Fund (USPIRG).
USPIRG tested 20 products – five wines and 15 beers – and found traces of the carcinogen in 19 of them. The tested wines included Beringer, Barefoot and Sutter Home and the included Budweiser beers
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, Coors
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, Miller Lite, Sam Adams
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, Samuel Smith Organic and New Belgium.
The highest levels of glyphosate were found in Sutter Home wine in St. Helena, California ($ 5.99 a bottle), containing 51 parts per billion, according to the report. The widely available brand is sold at Target
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, Walmart
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and convenience stores.
Organic wines and beers contain the chemical
Moscato Founders' Estate Moscato ($ 5.99) contained 42.6 ppb; and Barefoot Cabaret Sauvignon ($ 5.99) contained 36.3 ppb. Brands of conventional beer, including Coors
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($ 5.79 per pack of six); China's second brewery, Tsingtao ($ 7.89 per six pack); and Miller Lite ($ 8.99 per six pack) all showed glyphosate levels greater than 25 ppb.
"The minute traces of glyphosate that may be present in wine when used on vineyard weeds are well within the level of safety established by the Environmental Protection Agency." the United States."
Although glyphosate is not allowed to be used in organic farming, several organic products have been contaminated, according to the report, including Samuel Smith Organic Cider ($ 14.99), which contained 3.5 ppb; and the organic wine from Inkarri Estate ($ 12.98), which contained 5.2 ppb; and Frey Organic Natural White Wine ($ 9.99), which contains 4.8.
One organic beer brand, Peak Organic IPA ($ 10.99 per six pack) did not contain any detectable levels of glyphosate, according to the report.
Only two of the companies whose drinks were tested responded to MarketWatch's requests for comment. The Beringer wine label acknowledged the possibility that herbicides appear "in minute amounts" in its wine. "Glyphosate is an approved herbicide widely used by farmers around the world," said Beringer spokesman Jim Caudill. "The minute traces of glyphosate that may be present in wine when used on vineyard weeds are within the safe level set by the US Environmental Protection Agency."
A spokesman for Inkarri said that the winery had stopped using glyphosate in 2012 when it converted to organic farming methods. But studies show that the chemical can remain in the soil for more than 20 years, said Juan Pelizzatti, managing partner at Natural Merchants, the producer of Inkarri. "We do not use glyphosate in any of our vineyards and strongly support the worldwide ban of glyphosate because we believe that it causes a very difficult systemic contamination to control, putting at risk the freedom of choice and the health of the global community, "said Pelizzatti. I said.
A spokesman for the Beer Institute, a national trade association, told MarketWatch: "Our members work with farmers who strive to grow their crops in a sustainable and safe manner … The results of the latest tests Federal governments have shown that farmers use glyphosate. falls well below federal limits. As the report itself states, the glyphosate levels mentioned are "below the EPA risk tolerances for beverages".
Monsanto
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did not respond immediately to a request for comment on the USPIRG report.
Glyphosate is allowed in food and beverages
US environmental legislation allows the use of a certain amount of glyphosate in food and beverages, and none of the beers and wines tested by USPIRG contain more than that amount. But that does not mean they are necessarily completely safe for human consumption, USPIRG noted.
"Although these glyphosate levels are below the EPA's risk tolerances for beverages, it's possible that even low levels of glyphosate may be problematic," said the USPIRG in his study. "For example, in one study, scientists discovered that a fraction of a billion glyphosate could potentially stimulate the growth of breast cancer cells and disrupt the endocrine system."
But a wine lover should drink plenty of wine for the herbicide to affect his health, according to an expert. "An adult should drink 2,500 glasses of wine every day with the highest level of glyphosate measured daily for 70 years to reach the preliminary level of health concern of the US EPA," said Carl Winter, professor of Food Toxicology at the University of California at Davis, is quoted on a blog for the Wine Institute, a advocacy group of the wine industry.
Glyphosate has been associated with cancer
The World Health Organization has linked glyphosate – widely used by landscapers and farmers around the world and sold to consumers for residential gardening – to cancer in recent years. It should be noted that glyphosate is allowed in vineyards, where it is used to control weeds. Although it is not sprayed on grapes or on the vine, trace amounts of glyphosate can end up in the wine because of its use on weeds, according to the Wine Institute.
Last August, glyphosate was found in dozens of popular foods for breakfast-based oats, such as Cheerios roasted whole grain oat cereal and lemonade. Oats at the old Quaker, according to a report from the Environmental Working Group. Food manufacturers tested by the eWG reported that they were acting in compliance with US government safety guidelines and had ignored the group's findings. "Our products are safe and meet regulatory safety standards," said a representative of General Mills at Fox Business at the time.
The same month, a California jury sentenced Monsanto to pay $ 289 million in damages to a man dying of cancer who reportedly said he was exposed to the pesticide while he was working as a caretaker. ;school. Bayer, the owner of Monsanto, has denied any allegations that Roundup or glyphosate could cause cancer.
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