AgriPulse was among many outlets reporting news that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plans to begin testing corn and soybeans for glyphosate residues (the active ingredient in Montsano’s Roundup). The agency’s plan for fiscal year 2016 will include testing milk, eggs and potentially other foods.
In his coverage, author Stephen Davies includes a quote from scientist Nathan Donley from the Center for Biological Diversity that echoes the sentiments of many Americans: “In the wake of intense scrutiny, (FDA) has finally committed to taking this basic step of testing food for the most commonly used pesticide. It’s shocking that it’s taken so long, but we’re glad it’s finally going to happen.”
Montsano stands behind the safety of glyphosate, stating that: “glyphosate’s 40-year history of safe use has been upheld by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and regulators around the world following decades of study and review.”
It’s a confident stance considering the testing history of glyphosate in the U.S. As stated in U.S. Right to Know’s press release, Davies’ source, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) conducts its own annual testing of foods for pesticide residues through a “pesticide data program.” In 24 years, the program tested for glyphosate residues just once. That test was limited to 300 soybean samples, 271 of which had glyphosate residues.
The FDA’s testing has been just as scant. It admits that the cost to test for glyphosate had been prohibitively expensive. In a recent statement, the agency says: “The FDA has not routinely looked for glyphosate in its pesticide chemical residue monitoring regulatory program in the past for several reasons, including that available methods for detecting glyphosate were selective residue methods that would have been very cost- and labor-intensive to implement in FDA field labs.”
Back to Montsano’s stance that glyphosate’s safety has been upheld by the EPA. The EPA relies on scientific input from the USDA in determining which commodities and pesticides are tested. And currently, the EPA is waiting on FDA testing results to determine if an ongoing evaluation of glyphosate tolerances is needed to meet safety standards. It begs the question—if the USDA and FDA have not been adequately testing for glyphosate residue, does the EPA’s “seal of approval” equate to an assurance of safety?
It’s a question worth pondering. Citing a study from Environmental Sciences Europe, AgriPulse’s post mentions it is estimated that agricultural use of Roundup grew from 800,000 pounds in 1974 to 27.5 million pounds in 1995 to 250 million pounds in 2014. Considering the soaring rates of diseases and chronic conditions over that same period of time, it is becoming increasingly difficult to put off more rigorous testing. The FDA is taking an important step in the right direction.