FDA Finally Agrees To Test Food For Monsanto's Glyphosate Weedkiller

[tecelote]

The World Health Organization has declared the herbicide, widely used in farming, a probable carcinogen in humans.

The Food and Drug Administration will begin testing corn, soybeans and other foods for the presence of glyphosate, the world's most widely used herbicide, according to the blog Civil Eats.

The decision comes almost a year after the World Health Organization declared that the chemical, the active ingredient in the popular weedkiller Roundup, likely causes cancer in humans.

Civil Eats, in an article published Wednesday, quoted FDA spokeswoman Lauren Sucher as saying the agency is "considering assignments" for the current fiscal year to "measure glyphosate in soybeans, corn, milk, and eggs, among other potential foods.”

By testing for residues of the chemical, the FDA may answer longstanding concerns about whether it ends up in the food supply. If detected in large amounts, the industry would likely see an increased demand for stricter regulations.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/fda-glyphosate_us_56c4f815e4b0b40245c8f15b

[Orrex]

1. Sadly, this is pointless

Last edited Fri Feb 19, 2016, 10:28 AM - Edit history (1)

One of two things will happen:
1. Some health concerns will be identified, at which point opponents will cry "See? We told you that Monsanto is evil, and we knew it all along."
2. No health concerns will be identified, at which point opponents will cry "See? Monsanto owns the FDA! They're evil, and we knew it all along."
And in either case, they'll insist that GMOs are still bad even if Glyphosate is proven safe.

I do not fear being proven incorrect, and if my previous statements about Monsanto or Glyphosate are shown to be wrong then I will recant, but I am not confident that opponents of Monsanto will be as willing to accept a result that contradicts their views.

[restorefreedom]

3. there is a simple solution

fda souces testing to WHO or UN. i agree with you. any test result with the fda's fingerprints on it will be suspect. for good reason imo

[bvar22]

4. Glaring conflict of interests. The FDA, infested by Monsanto Lawyers, Lobbyists, and revolving

door Execs can't be trusted to do any impartial testing of ANY Monsanto product.

Monsanto Lobbyist and Lawyer Micheal Taylor was appointed by Obama to be the "Food Czar" at the FDA.

[restorefreedom]

5. absolutely. the stench of collusion is overwhelming

which is why they should allow an international body such as who to handle sampling and testing.

even academics can be paid off and often are

[Orrex]

6. That won't do any good, either

Opponents have already decided that Glyphosateis bad and that Monsanto has exerted its will over every entity that might challenge it, so any result that doesn't condemn both Glyphosate and Monsanto will be declared invalid.

[restorefreedom]

7. there have been samples with it

its just a matter of getting enough of a sample size to confirm its presence in the food supply.

i would trust WHO to send it to good labs

have several labs in several locations test the same samples, blind, and all release their findings at once.

and as far as monsanto, maybe they are accused of having influence because their people end up in the fda

http://investmentwatchblog.com/why-is-a-former-monsanto-vice-president-running-the-fda-michael-r-taylor-was-was-promoted-to-commissioner-of-the-fda-after-spending-years-lobbying-for-the-gmo-foods-giant-the-position-affords-taylo/


edit...i am sure there are qualified people who were not monsanto lobbyists.....appearance of impropriety and all...

[progressoid]

8. Not to mention, glyphosate is used on non-gmo plants too.

Or that glyphosate is less toxic than many of the things it replaced.

[NuclearDem]

9. Or that the much-cited IARC report seems to itself cite the Seralini paper as evidence

[classykaren]

2. At Last.

[progressoid]

10. Americans eat about 1,500 mg of pesticides per person per day

Except they are natural pesticides.

About 99.9 percent of the chemicals humans ingest are natural. The amounts of synthetic pesticide residues in plant food are insignificant compared to the amount of natural pesticides produced by plants themselves. Of all dietary pesticides that humans eat, 99.99 percent are natural: they are chemicals produced by plants to defend themselves against fungi, insects, and other animal predators.

We have estimated that on average Americans ingest roughly 5,000 to 10,000 different natural pesticides and their breakdown products. Americans eat about 1,500 mg of natural pesticides per person per day, which is about 10,000 times more than the 0.09 mg they consume of synthetic pesticide residues.

http://potency.berkeley.edu/pdfs/Paracelsus.pdf

Most of those natural pesticides are also probable carcinogens too. And we eat them all the time!!1

These rodent carcinogens occur in:

Absinthe, allspice, anise, apple, apricot, banana, basil, beet, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupe, caraway, cardamom, carrot, cauliflower, celery, cherries, chili pepper, chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, coffee, collard greens, comfrey herb tea, corn, coriander, currants, dill, eggplant, endive, fennel, garlic, grapefruit, grapes, guava, honey, honeydew melon, horseradish, kale, lemon, lentils, lettuce, licorice, lime, mace, mango, marjoram, mint, mushrooms, mustard, nutmeg, onion, orange, paprika, parsley, parsnip, peach, pear, peas, black pepper, pineapple, plum, potato, radish, raspberries, rhubarb, rosemary, rutabaga, sage, savory, sesame seeds, soybean, star anise, tarragon, tea, thyme, tomato, turmeric, and turnip

[HuckleB]

11. All natural pesticides are always good for you!

Come on, you know that.

[progressoid]

12. Well that's a relief.

I'd hate to have to stop eating my gluten free, non-gmo, organic kale smoothies.

Just don't tell me that my copper bracelet isn't curing my arthritis.