Thursday, September 22, 2016

After FDA found weedkiller in nearly 100% of honey products, it kept the information secret and refused to warn the public

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been doing its best to protect Monsanto and the entire GMO industry by dragging its feet and hiding information regarding glyphosate content in foods.

Glyphosate, the most widely-used herbicide on the planet and an essential component in GMO agricultural methods, has been the subject of increasing concern - particularly since the World Health Organization (WHO) classified it as a "probable human carcinogen" in 2015.

For many years, the FDA avoided testing foods for glyphosate residue at all, parroting Monsanto's assurances that the herbicide poses no threat to human health, but under mounting public pressure it finally began conducting tests in February of this year.

Although the agency routinely tests foods for other pesticide residues, it has rather suspiciously left glyphosate off of the list until now.

From The Huffington Post:

"[FDA testing] came after many independent researchers started conducting their own testing and found glyphosate in an array of food products, including flour, cereal, and oatmeal. The government and Monsanto have maintained that any glyphosate residues in food would be minimal enough to be safe. But critics say without robust testing, glyphosate levels in food are not known. And they say that even trace amounts may be harmful because they are likely consumed so regularly in many foods."

And the results of the FDA's own tests are truly disturbing.

Glyphosate residue found even in "100% all-natural" honey

Documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) reveal, for example, that glyphosate residue was found in all of the honey samples tested by the FDA - even honey marketed as being "100% all-natural." Some of the samples contained twice the European Union's allowable amount of glyphosate residue, and there is no allowable limit for glyphosate in honey produced in the U.S. - at least not yet.

This means that U.S. honey producers are technically in violation of the law - at least until tolerance levels are set by the FDA.

FDA denial and stalling tactics

But the FDA doesn't seem to be in any hurry to set any tolerance levels for honey. In fact, internal emails obtained through FOIA requests reveal that although honey producers are technically in violation, the agency doesn't consider it important because "it is not a safety issue."

In other words, the FDA is still dragging its feet to do anything, and is not currently planning to either set tolerance levels, or hold honey producers responsible for violating the law. In a statement, the FDA said: "there is no dietary risk concern from exposure to glyphosate residues in honey at this time."

And, of course, it's not really the fault of the honey producers to begin with, since glyphosate use is so widespread and because beekeepers have no real control over where the bees collect the pollen used in making honey.

The emails and other documents obtained show that the FDA is aware of the "glyphosate controversy," but seems both unwilling and unable to do much about it, other than keeping its test results secret and continuing its stalling tactics.

But slowly, the truth is leaking out regarding the dangers of glyphosate and the fact that both the FDA and the USDA have been corrupted through the lobbying efforts of Monsanto and the GMO industry as a whole.

For years, the Frankenfood industry has managed to keep its dark secrets with the help of a sold-out federal regulatory system, but the public is finally waking up to the deception and the dangers posed to the health of virtually every person on the planet.

Nothing short of a worldwide ban on GMOs and the use of glyphosate is an acceptable solution - we must collectively continue to fight the Frankenfood industry until it no longer exists in the United States or anywhere else.

Sources:

HuffingtonPost.com

USRTK.org

OrganicAuthority.com

No comments:

Post a Comment