Tests of 11 Ben and Jerry's ice cream flavors found traces of a key ingredient of Roundup herbicide in nearly all of them, according to a consumer group.
The Organic Consumers Association announced this week that of the 11 popular Ben and Jerry's flavors it tested, 10 contained traces of glyphosate and/or AMPA, which is found in glyphosate.
The group said it had an independent lab test the following Ben and Jerry's flavors: Americone Dream, Cherry Garcia, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Half Baked, Peanut Butter Cookie, Peanut Butter Cup, Phish Food, The Tonight Dough and two separate samples of Vanilla. The only flavor that didn't show traces of glyphosate was Cherry Garcia.
The levels of glyphosate found in the ice cream were far below the threshold set by the Environmental Protection Agency, according to the New York Times. This means the ice cream is not unsafe to eat.
Monsanto, the company that makes Roundup, responded to the news by assuring the public that the presence of glyphosate does not make foods unsafe for consumption.
“Hundreds of scientific studies over 40 years have determined that glyphosate is safe for use, and no regulatory agency in the world has concluded that glyphosate is carcinogenic. [The International Agency for Research on Cancer's] flawed classification is the sole outlier," said Scott Partridge, Monsanto's vice president of strategy.
Partridge was referring to the IARC's statement in March 2015 that glyphosate is "probably carcinogenic to humans."
A spokesman for Ben and Jerry's told the New York Times that the company has been trying to move away from ingredients that use genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as sources, but this report shows they still have some work to do in terms of screening.
“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," Rob Michalak told the newspaper.
In its report, the Organic Consumers Association urged Ben and Jerry's to fully commit to transitioning to organic ingredients. It slammed the ice cream company, saying, "Ben & Jerry's falsely advertises its products as 'natural' and its brand as 'sustainable' and 'socially responsible.' Nothing could be further from the truth."
Clint Davis is a reporter for the Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @MrClintDavis. Keep up to date with the latest news by following @ScrippsNational on Twitter.
