Friend,

We shouldn't have to worry about probable carcinogens in the food and drink that we buy.

But we detected glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto's pesticide Roundup, in beer and wine. A new report by our sister organization, U.S. PIRG Education Fund, reveals that 19 out of 20 tested samples -- including some organic beer and wine -- contained detectable levels of this dangerous chemical.1

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) does not currently test food and drink for the presence of glyphosate. This is just irresponsible. Tell the USDA to test for glyphosate.

Roundup is dangerously overused. Enough glyphosate is used every year to spray nearly half a pound of this dangerous chemical on every single acre of cultivated land in the world.2

That makes exposure hard to avoid.

Scientists at the World Health Organization have linked glyphosate to cancer.3 It doesn't belong in the things we eat and drink. But U.S. PIRG Education Fund detected levels of glyphosate in wine of up to 51 parts per billion.4

While these numbers are below the EPA's risk tolerances for beverages, at least one previous scientific study found that as little as one part per trillion of glyphosate can stimulate the growth of breast cancer cells and disrupt the endocrine system.5 One part per trillion is an extremely small amount -- equivalent to about one drop of glyphosate in a 43-foot-deep pool covering the area of a football field.6

In light of its probable health risks, the use of Roundup should be banned unless and until it is proven safe. But meanwhile, we can at least test for this dangerous chemical in the products that we eat and drink. Add your name today.

The fact that glyphosate was found in certified organic products shows that even best practices to avoid pesticide exposure on crops may not be enough to keep glyphosate out of our food. Because Roundup is used so ubiquitously, traces of glyphosate have been detected everywhere from breakfast cereal to ice cream.7,8

We simply shouldn't have to worry that the things we eat and drink are exposing us to probable carcinogens. The USDA already tests for other kinds of pesticides in produce. Tell the USDA: Test for glyphosate on food and drink to protect consumers.

Thank you,

Faye Park
President

1. Kara Cook, "Glyphosate Pesticide in Beer and Wine," U.S. PIRG Education Fund, February 2019.
2. Charles Benbrook, "Trends in glyphosate herbicide use in the United States and globally," Environmental Sciences Europe, February 2, 2016.
3. "IARC Monograph on Glyphosate," International Agency for Research on Cancer / World Health Organization, January 3, 2016.
4. Kara Cook, "Glyphosate Pesticide in Beer and Wine," U.S. PIRG Education Fund, February 2019.
5. S. Thongpraikasong et al., "Glyphosate induces human breast cancer cells growth via estrogen receptors," Food and Chemical Toxicology, September 2013.
6. Harriett S. Stubbs, "Parts per Million, Billion, Trillion," Science Activities, July 30, 2010.
7. "Weed-killing chemical linked to cancer found in some children's breakfast foods," CBS News, August 15, 2018.
8. Stephanie Strom, "Traces of Controversial Herbicide Are Found in Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream," The New York Times, July 25, 2017.