After The War

27 October 2017

Conventional dairy, which relies on Monsanto’s Roundup Ready GMO crops, is poisoning Vermont’s water, degrading Vermont’s soil and contributing to global warming.  And yes, glyphosate was found in Ben & Jerry's ice cream.  What is glyphosate?  

Well, Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide and crop desiccant. It is an organophosphorus compound, specifically a phosphonate. It is used to kill weeds, especially annual broadleaf weeds and grasses that compete with crops. It was discovered to be an herbicide by Monsanto chemist John E.  

Previous research has shown that Roundup is toxic to human DNA even when diluted to concentrations 450-fold lower than used in agricultural applications

“Inactive” ingredients such as solvents, preservatives, and surfactants contribute to toxicity in a synergistic manner, and ethoxylated adjuvants in glyphosate-based herbicides have been found to be “active principles of human cell toxicity”

Cell damage and even cell death can occur at the residual levels found on Roundup-treated food crops, as well as lawns and gardens where Roundup is applied for weed control

Liver, embryonic and placental cell lines are adversely affected by glyphosate at doses as low as 1 ppm. GM corn can contain as much as 13 ppm of glyphosate, and Americans eat an average of 193 lbs of GM foods annually.

Referenced article: Business Insider

Ben & Jerry's — a brand famous for its quality and eco-friendly practices — is under fire after a test uncovered a controversial ingredient in its ice cream. 

The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) found glyphosate, the main ingredient in weedkillers like Roundup, in 10 out of 11 samples of the company's ice cream flavors, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.

While the levels of glyphosate were well below the legal limit set by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Organic Consumers Association argues that any presence of the pesticide product is misleading and potentially dangerous. 

"It's time for Ben & Jerry’s to announce it will immediately begin transitioning to 100-percent organic," using zero pesticides in production, the OCA said in a post on its website. "Otherwise conscious consumers have no choice but to launch a national and, if necessary, international protest campaign and boycott."

The OCA has called for Ben & Jerry's to stop labeling its ice creams as "natural" because the brand's dairy cows consume genetically-engineered corn (the brand told the Times that it is working to find all-natural alternatives). Add-ins, such as peanut butter or cookie dough, containing ingredients that have been sprayed with the weedkiller may also be the source of the glyphosate in the ice creams, according to the Times. 

A Ben & Jerry's spokesperson said in a statement that the brand had not yet seen the results of the test, but could confirm that all ice cream flavors are safe to consume.  

"Even if the reported results are accurate, as the laboratory that conducted the test stated, a person would have to consume 145,000 eight-ounce servings PER DAY to reach the limit set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)," the spokesperson said. 

The question of if glyphosate is dangerous to consume is still hotly debated. While the World Health Organization said in 2015 that the weed killer was "probably carcinogenic," Reuters reported in June that scientific data may not fully back that claim. 

Despite the continued debate, many customers simply do not want to have a herbicide ingredient in their food. Soon after the Times published its article on the OCA's ice cream test, the brand began receiving complaints and boycott threats on social media. 

Article link: Business Insider