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Gillam, 2018

Carey Gillam, “Weedkiller found in granola and crackers, internal FDA emails show,” The Guardian, April 30, 2018.

SUMMARY:

A Freedom of Information Act request for internal FDA emails shows that recent testing for glyphosate residues in foods has revealed that “FDA has had trouble finding any food that does not carry traces of the pesticide.”  This is the first wide-scale quantification of herbicide residues in foods, and internal emails show that FDA scientists tested many common foods during informal testing to validate the process the agency would use to test official samples.  These samples are not “official” and would not be included in the upcoming residue report.  Some results have been above the legal threshold, such as a sample of corn where glyphosate was detected at 6.5 ppm, well over the legal limit of 5.0 ppm.  The FDA is also expanding residue testing for dicamba and 2.4-D as use of these herbicides is expected to rise in the near future with the introduction of new GE crops that are resistant to these active ingredients.  FULL TEXT


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