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Glyphosate found in Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream during new study

kaiju

Member
A growing number of foods commonly found in kitchens across America have tested positive for glyphosate, the herbicide that is the main ingredient in the popular consumer pesticide Roundup, which is widely used in agriculture. But few brands on that list are as startling as the latest: Ben & Jerry’s, the Vermont ice cream company known for its family-friendly image and environmental advocacy.

The Organic Consumers Association announced Tuesday that it found traces of glyphosate in 10 of 11 samples of the company’s ice creams — although at levels far below the ceiling set by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Rob Michalak, global director of social mission at Ben & Jerry’s, said the company was working to ensure that all the ingredients in its supply chain come from sources that do not include genetically modified organisms, known as G.M.O.s. None of its plant-based ingredients, for instance, come from a genetically engineered crop like corn or soy, where glyphosate is used in production. The company is also trying to figure out a cost-effective way for the dairy farms that supply its milk to use non-G.M.O. feed.

“We’re working to transition away from G.M.O., as far away as we can get,” Mr. Michalak said. “But then these tests come along, and we need to better understand where the glyphosate they’re finding is coming from. Maybe it’s from something that’s not even in our supply chain, and so we’re missing it.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/25/dining/ben-and-jerrys-ice-cream-herbicide-glyphosate.html

Will eat weedkiller if old.
 
I didn't need to know this, ignorance is bliss when it comes to eating junk food :(

Hopefully they at least change it then
 
i love the look on anti-gmo people's faces when they are explained to that non-gmo crops often have much more pesticide used on them and is often less monitored than gmo's. as if people were modifying crop dna as a big fuck you and not partially to reduce pesticide use (cost) among other reasons.

this doesn't surprise me
 

Ryuukan

Member
John Fagan, the chief executive of the Health Research Institute Laboratories, which did the testing for the Organic Consumers Association, calculated that a 75-pound child would have to consume 145,000 eight-ounce servings a day of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream to hit the limit set by the Environmental Protection Agency, the government body charged with setting a ceiling on the amount of glyphosate allowed in food.

I get close to this sometimes with the new non-dairy flavors

I should be careful
 

DoomGyver

Member
I'm sure traces are found in nearly all of the foods you buy at the store. The only way to really avoid it is to plant your own garden and pull weeds by hand. Raise your own jersey, milk it, turn the milk into ice cream.
 
so this only matters to people who buy into anti-gmo hysteria. big whoop.
Eh, it might not be a non-non-issue. For example there was a federal standard for lead exposure, but more recently it's been determined that no level of exposure is "safe" for children.

It's not a big issue if it is an issue but it could still be an issue at some level.
 

bigkrev

Member
I get close to this sometimes with the new non-dairy flavors

I should be careful

I did CS for Quaker Oats some years ago, and the figure we used was "You would have to eat 100,000 bowls of Oatmeal a day in order to even come close to the federally regulated limit allowed"

Doesn't stop GMO crazies from loosing their minds
 

KHarvey16

Member
Eh, it might not be a non-non-issue. For example there was a federal standard for lead exposure, but more recently it's been determined that no level of exposure is "safe" for children.

It's not a big issue if it is an issue but it could still be an issue at some level.

The only answer is to never leave your clean room.
 
The article is kind of groan worthy. "Here are some epidemiological studies demonstrating no risk to humans at this exposure threshold" ... "BUT HERE ARE SOME RAT STUDIES"

The rat study in question has Seralini as an author - a noted organic industry insider and anti-GMO activist. The integrity of his research has been compromised with past publications with fraudulent methodology resulting in numerous retractions. In the absence of full transparency, there is no reason to provide him the benefit of the doubt.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Séralini_affair

Lazy journalism. I miss the days where there were actual science journalists.
 

Poppy

Member
well my dad is allergic to roundup so i guess thats notable

i will continue to consume it, however. have you tried the One Love flavor? shit is amazing
 

Stinkles

Clothed, sober, cooperative
The article is kind of groan worthy. "Here are some epidemiological studies demonstrating no risk to humans at this exposure threshold" ... "BUT HERE ARE SOME RAT STUDIES"

The rat study in question has Seralini as an author - a noted organic industry insider and anti-GMO activist. The integrity of his research has been compromised with past publications with fraudulent method. In the absence of full transparency, there is no reason to provide him the benefit of the doubt.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Séralini_affair

Lazy journalism. I miss the days where there were actual science journalists.

38f8QKx.gif
 

Sulik2

Member
GMO does not equal pesticide. Is Ben and Jerry's confused on this. You can spray non GMO crops in Roudup and still find it in your ice cream.
 

prag16

Banned
GMO does not equal pesticide. Is Ben and Jerry's confused on this. You can spray non GMO crops in Roudup and still find it in your ice cream.

Not automatically but one of the main genetic modifications done to crops is to make them more glyphosate resistant than they would be naturally. I don't think a lot of people are spraying non GMO crops with roundup.
 
Well admittedly when I made that post I hadn't read the full article. But still.
But still what? I mean I'm not trying to come down hard on you here, I'm genuinely curious what the issue is. You'd be amazed at what anything you buy these days has in it. I'm not saying it's GOOD, but we're talking about levels that are basically nothing.
 

Lord Error

Insane For Sony
GMO does not equal pesticide. Is Ben and Jerry's confused on this. You can spray non GMO crops in Roudup and still find it in your ice cream.
You really can't. Roundup destroys practically anything that has chlorophyll in it, unless the plant has been genetically modified to be resistant to it. You can spray them with other stuff, of course.
 

Daedardus

Member
Pretty sure you could find traces of coke in some food products too. It just depends on what treshold is needed to detect a trace.

Among the flavors tested, Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie showed the highest levels of glyphosate, with 1.74 parts per billion, and glyphosate's byproduct aminomethylphosphonic acid registering 0.91 parts per billion.

Hmm, yeah, I don't think 1 ppb wil do anything in your body. The risk with glyphosate is all about exposure amount and duration. You won't die faster from eating Ben & Jerry's, but if you drink the stuff everyday you won't hold out long. The biggest risks are for those who work in the sector handling the product everyday, not for the crops that are eaten.

uch amounts might seem negligible. John Fagan, the chief executive of the Health Research Institute Laboratories, which did the testing for the Organic Consumers Association, calculated that a 75-pound child would have to consume 145,000 eight-ounce servings a day of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream to hit the limit set by the Environmental Protection Agency, the government body charged with setting a ceiling on the amount of glyphosate allowed in food.

An adult would have to eat 290,000 servings to hit the agency's cutoff, Dr. Fagan said.

You'll basically die faster of diabetes and overweight than that the glyphosate will have an effect.
 
So even though Ben & Jerry's has bought in to the anti-GMO hype, they still get lambasted over it?
 

Kyuur

Member
I don't understand the link to GMO here. If they're not using GMO, isn't it more likely they have to use pesticides to protect their crops?
 
"a 75-pound child would have to consume 145,000 eight-ounce servings a day of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream to hit the limit set by the Environmental Protection Agency, the government body charged with setting a ceiling on the amount of glyphosate allowed in food."

I SMELL A CHALLENGE
 

Rentahamster

Rodent Whores
I don't understand the link to GMO here. If they're not using GMO, isn't it more likely they have to use pesticides to protect their crops?

One of the modifications is to make crops more resistant to Roundup, so that you can use it and be confident that it's only killing the weeds.
 
"a 75-pound child would have to consume 145,000 eight-ounce servings a day of Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream to hit the limit set by the Environmental Protection Agency, the government body charged with setting a ceiling on the amount of glyphosate allowed in food."

I SMELL A CHALLENGE

Chemical alarmism man

They wont even educate themselves on how these numbers are calculated

That said... biology is a complex field

So trust the fucking experts on this one because they had to work fucking hard and go to school for a long time to master this shit
 
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