Toxic Glyphosate Found in Most Beer and Wine

Before you kick back over a glass of beer or wine you may want to keep reading. That’s because you’re probably getting more than fermented hops or grapes in these beverages. According to a new study released by the US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund, the toxic weed killer glyphosate has been spoiling the harvest. The study found that 19 out of 20 beer and wine samples tested contained the toxic pesticide glyphosate.

Sutter Home wine contained the highest amount of glyphosate, at 51 parts per billion(ppb), which may not seem like much but it’s 10 times higher than the current Food and Drug Administration (FDA’s) maximum allowable amount of glyphosate in a food product, 5.0 ppm. It is also extremely high given the fact that no amount of glyphosate has ever been scientifically deemed acceptable for human health.

Birlinger and Barefoot wines were also tested and found to contain glyphosate. Budweiser, Coors, MillerLite, Sam Adams, Samuel Smith Organic, New Belgium and Tsingtao beers were tested, with Tsingtao having the highest amount at 49.7 ppb. CoorsLite also had high levels at 31.1 ppb.

Peak Beer Organic IPA was the only beverage that did not contain any detectable traces of glyphosate in the US PIRG Education Fund tests.

While the beer and wine industry representatives claim that most of the products were below the government-set upper limits for glyphosate contamination, the products actually significantly exceeded the limits. But, it points to a serious flaw in the system that supposedly governs food products: there is insufficient testing of products intended for consumers prior to their arrival in retail stores. And, obviously, agencies also need to rethink their excessively high upper limits for toxic substances such as glyphosate.

Glyphosate was established as a probable carcinogen by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2015—a decision International Agency for Research of Cancer reached after an expansive review of approximately 1000 studies of the safety, or lack thereof, of the key ingredient in Monsanto’s flagship product, Roundup. The agency found many studies linking the pesticide ingredient to genetic damage,  Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, autism, infertility, miscarriages, birth defects, chronic kidney and liver diseases, diabetes, heart disease and hypothyroidism.

The organization conducting the study cites research that as little as 1 part per trillion of glyphosate can stimulate breast cancer and disrupt the body’s delicate hormonal system.

Another study, called The Global Glyphosate Study, found that the amounts set as safe levels of glyphosate by the United States government aren’t actually safe at all and are instead linked to microbiome imbalances and damages to DNA. Every living thing, including humans, has a microbiome which is the sum of all the microbes in the body and differs from person to person, creating a sort of microscopic “fingerprint.” We are learning more and more about the human microbiome on an almost daily basis, but the bulk of the findings conclude that the health of our microbiome determines the health of much of our body.

Monsanto, now owned by Bayer AG, continues to claim their glyphosate-containing products are safe although the company lost a recent lawsuit in which Dewayne Lee Johnson sued the company, citing RoundUp as the culprit behind his incurable cancer of the lymphatic system, lymphoma. Although he has only months to live, the win spurred thousands of other people, primarily farmers, to sue the company, claiming their cancers were also caused by the product.

The company has also come under fire for potentially forging their own safety studies to conclude that their products are safe although research may not have supported the claim. Check out my blog, “Monsanto May Have Written Its Own Studies about Glyphosate Safety” to learn more. According to the Organic Consumers AssociationMonsanto’s own research found that glyphosate is linked to cancers of the pituitary gland, brain, heart, lungs, salivary glands, lymphatic glands, prostate, bladder, thyroid, adrenal glands and skin.

HOW TO AVOID GLYPHOSATE IN BEER AND WINE

Currently, there are no agencies certifying products as glyphosate-free, so there is no completely secure way of avoiding glyphosate-containing beverages, but here are a few ideas to help you minimize your exposure.

Choose certified organic wines and beer. They are more likely to be free of glyphosate or contain less glyphosate since sprayed hops or grapes cannot be used in certified organic beverages. Obviously, some residues may find their way into organically-grown hops or grapes but they are likely to be lower in the toxic pesticide. Peak Beer Organic IPA was the only glyphosate-free beverage of the 20 samples tested, suggesting their beer may be a superior choice to many of the others on the market. There may be others that are safe, but until we have further testing, there is no way of knowing for sure.

Choose wines or beer in which the companies can confirm that they use spray-free ingredients.

Make your own. Brewing your own beer or fermenting your own wine using organic ingredients can help you to feel secure that you’re avoiding glyphosate. It’s easier than you think and there are even products on the market that automate the process for those who are a bit nervous of the whole process.