Carolanne Wright – Classified as “probably carcinogenic” by the World Health Organization, glyphosate — the main ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup and the world’s most widely used herbicide — has been found in a variety of best-selling American foods at disturbing levels, says a new report by Food Democracy Now! and The Detox Project.
Anresco Laboratories, an ISO 17025 accredited and FDA-registered facility in San Francisco, was commissioned to test for glyphosate in a large range of foods. Founded in 1943 by Dr. Sylvan Eisenberg, Anresco is the forerunner in providing food safety analyses for pesticides, microbiology and nutritional labeling.
Using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) — considered the “gold standard” of testing methods — the lab detected alarming levels of glyphosate in General Mills’ Cheerios and Honey Nut Cheerios, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Raisin Bran and Frosted Flakes, and PepsiCo’s Doritos Cool Ranch, Nabisco’s Ritz Crackers and Stacy’s Simply Naked Pita Chips, along with many other popular food products.
You can read the full report, entitled “Glyphosate: Food Testing Results and Scientific Reasons for Concern”, here.
The results of the independent testing are disturbing, especially considering the weedkiller is linked with a variety of serious health disorders, including cancer, endocrine (or hormone) disruption, birth defects, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, ADHD, obesity, diabetes, lowered immune function, celiac disease and irritable bowel syndrome. Children are particularly at risk.
Though General Mills has propelled itself forward with its famous products like Lucky Charms, the corporation is going to need to heavily adapt to today’s consumer if they want to remain on top. For years the company has found itself on the opposite side of powerful consumer trends, but is now beginning to morph to the demand of the health-conscious consumer.
In the latest battle within the food industry over what to call and what not to call “all natural,” mega-corporation General Mills was forced to remove the label “100% Natural” from more than 20 of its products, including its Nature Valley snack bars and crispy squares. This is yet more evidence that the food movement is having a much-needed impact, even on mega-corps such as General Mills.
Let me guess. One of your favorite go-to meals is shells and white cheddar and you find yourself having to ration boxes of cheddar bunnies so that you don’t devour the whole package in one sitting. I don’t blame you. Nowadays it’s hard to find anything appetizing that won’t kill you, fund Monsanto, or most likely both.