December 11, 2018

The Chinese government is smart to announce that they will set low limits of glyphosate residues on their food imports. Grains have been shown to be especially high in glyphosate levels and the impact harming our most vulnerable.

Moms Across America announces that the baby food samples tested were positive for residues of glyphosate when the baby foods contained grains such as rice, wheat, or oats. Baby foods that contained only fruits and vegetables did not. Eight different conventional baby foods from two top brands, Gerber and Comfort for Baby, were tested by Health Research Institute labs in Iowa, with the “gold standard” HPLC MS/MS methodology. The levels found in the foods with grain as part of the ingredients averaged 14.3 parts per billion, which is 143 times higher than the amount that is allowed in EU drinking water. At-home testing on Gerber Oatmeal and Apple Toddler Cereal revealed that glyphosate levels between 50-200 ppb. Oats are commonly sprayed with glyphosate as a drying agent so most conventional oat products are expected to have similar levels of glyphosate.

Glyphosate is the declared active chemical ingredient in Roundup, manufactured by Monsanto/Bayer. Recent John v Monsanto jury trial found Monsanto guilty on all accounts, including for “malice and oppression”- meaning that the company knew their products could cause cancer and suppressed the information.

Glyphosate, found in Roundup, is a patented antibiotic. It is unacceptable for any amount to be in baby food. A baby’s microbiome is developing in the first few years of life, setting the foundation of the immune system for life to come. Glyphosate can bioaccumulate and has also been shown to be neurotoxic and to increase the development of cancer. It is crucial that parents protect their babies and reduce exposure to glyphosate and all toxic chemicals as much as possible. Moms Across America hopes baby food manufacturers will take note of these findings and be fastidious in their sourcing of grains that have not been sprayed with glyphosate for any reason.

Alternatively, organic baby food and a biodynamic brand tested by other organizations did not have quantifiable or detected levels for glyphosate.

Keith Rowe of White Leaf Provisions a biodynamic baby food company that took the initiative to test their products and share the results with Moms Across America stated, “At White Leaf Provisions we are committed to providing safe, glyphosate and synthetic chemical-free, nutrient-dense baby food. Our baby food came as ND (Not Detected) meaning it was below the limit of detection which is a direct result of the biodynamic farming practices behind all of our products. Biodynamic is the gold standard of organic and regenerative farming. Our farms replace all synthetic chemicals with natural compost and herbal sprays. We urge all food manufacturers and consumers to work together to have the EPA ban glyphosate to help restore biodiversity, regenerate the soil and heal the planet that our kids will inherit.”

Biodynamic is a good choice to not only avoid glyphosate but for better nutrition as well. As explained in a report published in April 2011 in Scientific American. Compared to conventional produce, biodynamic fruits and vegetables contain 13 percent more potassium, 7 percent more phosphorus, 20 percent more sodium, 7 percent more calcium, and 34 percent more iron, according to a study published in 1999 in "Biodynamics."

In the past, food manufacturers have claimed, that glyphosate levels in food were lower than the EPA allowable levels and therefore not a concern. Recent science has shown, however, that levels below the EPA allowable levels, caused serious harm in independent animal studies. One study by Antoniou et al. showed that glyphosate-based herbicides caused non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in rats at ultra-low levels, comparatively far below levels allowed in our food. Another study by Miles et al. released in January of 2018 showed that when pregnant rats consumed low levels of glyphosate not only did they have infertility issues, but the second generation of their young did as well. Glyphosate herbicide formulations have been shown by Seralini et al. to be endocrine disruptors, causing sex hormone changes even at minuscule amounts, in the parts per billion. Concerned parents are wondering if these chemicals are affecting animals this way, what are they doing to our children?

Over 30 countries have banned or restricted the use of glyphosate. In August 2018, Brazil banned glyphosate. The same month, an Australian barley mill announced it would be segregating glyphosate sprayed grains and non-glyphosate sprayed grains, showing a clear preference change in practice. A few weeks earlier a Canadian wheat growers association announced the launch of their “Keep it Clean!” campaign, encouraging wheat growers to discontinue the practice of spraying glyphosate as a drying agent, noting that the glyphosate may be rejected by food manufacturers. Italian importers have cut backorders of glyphosate-sprayed grains, in response to an outcry from Italian consumers who do not want weed killer in their pasta, pizza, and bread.

Curator Charlene Wight of the Oat Newsletter stated, “Glyphosate herbicides are not labeled for use as a drying agent before harvest.” This does not mean, however, that a farmer might not bend the rules by saying that he is simply spraying for weed control before harvest. The statement she shared also points out that a mill in Canada no longer accepts glyphosate-sprayed oats due to a degradation of the quality of the grains.

With this new information, the finding of glyphosate in baby food, Moms Across America hopes that oat, rice, wheat, and all grain growers will acknowledge that consumers around the world do not want glyphosate contaminated food, and do not want glyphosate herbicides or any toxins used for any reason on any food crops. Especially not crops that are fed to their babies, who, due to their underdeveloped livers and kidneys, simply do not have the ability to detox the way fully developed adults do.

In a 2014 interview with Dr. Mercola, Andre Leu of the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) stated:

“Children, when we talk about the unborn, the newborn and grown children up to puberty, they do not have the detoxification enzymes in their livers that we have as adults. Particularly for young children, that means they have no way of detoxifying even the smallest amount of a pesticide or a chemical.”Moms

Consumers say it’s time to make farming and food manufacturing choices that will benefit future generations rather than the farmer’s convenience and chemical company profits. Without healthy babies, we do not have a healthy future for our country. With federal health care costs soaring to $1.5 trillion, higher than military costs, and a government that is failing to take action, it is the responsibility of our farmers and food manufacturers to take steps now to reduce and end toxic exposures in our food supply, to our American population, and especially to our babies and children.

Moms Across America is a 501c3 non-profit whose motto is Empowered Moms, Healthy Kids.