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Posted April 22, 2014
U.S. regulators may start testing food products for residues of the world’s most widely used herbicide as public concern rises over possible links to disease, according to Reuters. Food Safety News also published an article available hereand Ag Professional here.
Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup herbicide, has come under intense scrutiny since a the World Health Organization (WHO) reportedlast month it was classifying glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”
The herbicide is considered safe by the EPA, as well as many foreign regulatory agencies, yet many companies, consumer groups and advocacy organizations have been sampling foods, as well as human urine and breast milk, to try to determine the pervasiveness of glyphosate residues.
Glyphosate is commonly used on wheat, corn, soybeans and other crops in the U.S. and many other countries. Use of the herbicide has dramatically increased in recent years along with the planting of genetically engineered crops, according to Food Safety News.
While the U.S. government does not specifically test food products for glyphosate residue, it does do test each year for hundreds of other herbicides and pesticides to make sure residues are not present in food products at levels considered dangerous to human health.
The EPA said the ultimate decision rests with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and its Pesticide Data Program. In the past, the EPA had advised the USDA that “glyphosate residues do not pose a risk to human health,” according to Ag Professional.
However, USDA spokesman Peter Wood said the “EPA makes the determination which commodities and pesticides are tested.” He said that sampling is based on EPA “data needs” and EPA has so far not requested glyphosate testing on any commodity.
Both agencies said that testing for glyphosate residues would be more costly than for other pesticides.
Update:
The Environmental Protection Agency has wrapped up its review of the world’s most widely used herbicide and plans to release a much-anticipated preliminary risk assessment no later than July, according to Ag Professional.
Jim Jones, assistant administrator for the EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, said that the glyphosate review was concluded months ago, but it was delayed to allow the agency to learn more about the WHO findings.
Jones said he expects the preliminary risk assessment to generate extensive public interest and comment.
Jones declined to provide details about the EPA’s conclusions.
For more information on pesticides, please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
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