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Most Americans Have Roundup in Their Bodies. Researchers Say One Week of Eating Organic Can Help
Organic, pesticide-free eating is an important factor in health and is something consumers should remain conscious of when shopping.
Photo courtesy of Scott Warman, Unsplash.
One week of eating organic can dramatically reduce pesticide levels in the body, according to a recent study conducted by the Health Research Institute, Commonweal Institute, and Friends of the Earth.
The group of researchers tracked the pesticide levels of four families across the United States. They took measurements after six days on a non-organic diet and again after six days on an organic diet.
The study, and a companion study published last year, found 16 different kinds of pesticides and chemicals in every participant. But after six days of organic eating, these compounds decreased an average of 60.5 percent—and some as much as 95 percent. Glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup and the most used pesticide in the world, dropped an average of 70 percent.
A study by agricultural economist Charles Benbrook finds that the use of glyphosate has spiked 15-fold globally since genetically modified, “Roundup Ready” crops were introduced in 1996. The percentage of Americans with traceable levels of glyphosate in their bodies rose from 12 percent in 1972 to 70 percent by 2014, according to researchers at the University of California San Diego.
Glyphosate exposure has been associated with a wide range of health problems. Researchers have flagged glyphosate as a probable carcinogen, and the chemical has been linked to kidney disease, reproductive issues, DNA damage, hormone and digestion disruptions, fatty liver disease, and more.
The recent study poses organic eating as a straightforward way to avoid glyphosate. But the authors also recognize that organic food isn’t always accessible.
To improve the availability of organic foods in the United States, the team calls for top-down policy changes—like stricter regulations on pesticide use, more federal research into the effects of pesticides, and aid for farmers as they transition to organic farming.
“Our federal pesticide policy system is broken, and we need people shouting about that,” Dr. Kendra Klein, a co-author of the study and Senior Staff Scientist at Friends of the Earth, tells Food Tank. “Companies like Bayer, Syngenta, and Dow are spending millions lobbying, and they’re also spending tens of millions of dollars to shape the narrative and perpetuate myths, like the myth that we need pesticides to feed the world.”
Klein points out that just 1 percent of U.S. federal agricultural research dollars go towards ecological farming, and pesticide regulations are few and far between. In fact, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has loosened some pesticide restrictions in recent years. Between 1993 and 2008, the EPA raised the threshold for glyphosate residues on oats from 0.1 ppm to 30 ppm.
Larry Bohlen, Chief Operating Officer at HRI Labs and another co-author of the study, also emphasizes a lack of resources for farmers who want to transition to organic farming. He explains that universities and government training programs have taught farmers how to use pesticides for decades. “If they placed models of successful organic farming side-by-side with the synthetic chemical models, farmers would have choices instead of just one option,” Bohlen tells Food Tank.
Stringent pesticide regulations might seem like a lofty goal in the U.S., says Klein, but change is already underway abroad. Earlier this year, the European Union announced plans to halve the use of “high risk” pesticides by 2030 and make at least 25 percent of farmland organic.
To spur change in the U.S., Bohlen urges consumers to vote with their wallets, if they’re able. “Each person’s purchase is a small vote that, when considered collectively, sends a signal back to the grocer and the farmer about what type of food is desired. It’s your purchase that has one of the biggest effects on land, farmer, and consumer health.”
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Seeds&Chips Launches Goals on Tour: FAO: 821 Million People Worldwide Suffer From Chronic Malnutrition, 672 Million From Obesity
Marco Gualtieri, Seeds&Chips: "Reaching the SDGs is the greatest business opportunity that has ever occurred for humanity"
Milan, 10 May 2019 - On the fourth day of Seeds&Chips, the most important international event dedicated to innovation in the food chain, Goals on Tour was launched as a global campaign to raise public awareness and support for the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (SDGs).
Seeds&Chips 2019 houses 16 containers (the 17th represented by the unity of intent of the community gathered and represented here), which each symbolize an SDG. From here, they will embark on a sustainable journey around the world. The colorful containers, with the symbols of the Goals and full of graphic and interactive content will make stops in the main capitals of the world, functioning as a traveling exhibition that showcases artistic installations and displays of public and private sector initiatives that aim to realize the SDGs. The exhibition content has been provided by the partners of this project and by Elisabetta Lattanzio Illy, journalist and photographer with over twenty-five years of experience in the defense of equality and dignity for all.
The Summit was in fact the first part of this world tour, which immediately saw the participation of large global players like FAO, IFAD, WFP, UNIDO, UNECE, INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTER, the Republic of San Marino, Deloitte Foundation, Oceana, Robert Kennedy Human Rights, Fondazione Politecnico. It is destined to grow bigger, combining international bodies, institutions and the private sector.
The SDGs were launched in 2015 by the United Nations and were included in the 2030 Agenda. They aim to resolve economic and social development problems in the world such as poverty, hunger, health, education, climate change, gender equality, water, sustainable energy, urbanization, environment and social equality.
Marco Gualtieri, President and founder of Seeds&Chips, commented: "Reaching the SDGs represents the greatest business opportunity that has ever occurred for humanity. We have the honor of launching the Goals on Tour initiative because we must begin to create awareness, make systems and unite the intentions around the SDGs."
In the launch session of Goals on Tour, the major international humanitarian organizations came together at Seeds&Chips to share their initiatives and commitments in achieving the objectives.
According to FAO, 821 million people worldwide suffer from chronic malnutrition, which has steadily increased since 2014, while 672 million people suffering from obesity. In the world 1/3 of available food is wasted:#zerohunger is the campaign that FAO has presented on stage and is committed to supporting in the coming years. It has the same intent as the WORLD FOOD PROGRAM, the United Nations agency that assists over 100 million people.
IFAD (International Fund for Agriculture Development) is working toward increasing the sustainability of agriculture, while INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTER is at the forefront in achieving gender equality from within and improving the sustainability of exporting goods around the world. UNIDO is committed to sustainably increasing the industrial activities of member countries while aiming to reduce emissions and their impact on climate change.UNECE is active in promoting approaches for greater economic integration and cooperation and sustainable development and prosperity for all.
The Republic of San Marino was the first State to join Goals on Tour, choosing to be part of the global network, "because environmental sustainability must be pursued concretely, the environment is not infinite,” declared Marco Podeschi the Secretary of State for Education and Culture of the Republic of San Marino.
For more information: https://www.seedsandchips.com/
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Seeds&Chips - The Global Food Innovation Summit, founded by entrepreneur Marco Gualtieri, is the world’s flagship food innovation event. An exceptional platform to promote technologically advanced solutions and talents from all over the world. An exhibition area and conference schedule to present, tell and discuss the themes, models and innovations that are changing the way food is produced, transformed, distributed, consumed and talked about. In 2017, Seeds&Chips’ keynote speaker President Barack Obama participated as a speaker The event hosted over 300 speakers from all over the world; over 240 exhibitors and 15800 visitors. It also garnered 131 million social impressions in 4 days. The 2018 edition saw more than 300 international speakers, among them former US Secretary of State John Kerry, President of IFAD Gilbert Houngbo and Starbucks’ former CEO and Chairman Howard Schultz. The 5th edition of Seeds&Chips – The Global Food Innovation Summit took place at Fiera Milano Rho, from May 6 to 9, 2019.
Registration For The 9th International Forum on Food and Nutrition, Which Will Take Place On 27 And 28 November, At Hangar Bicocca In Milan Is Now Open.
Registration for the 9th International Forum on Food and Nutrition , which will take place on 27 and 28 November, at Hangar Bicocca in Milan is now open.
Following the first international forum in Brussels and in New York, the International Forum on Food and Nutrition returns to Italy for a two-day event, to provide substantial food for thought on the delicate issues linked to food sustainability.
ENABLING FOOD SYSTEMS TRANSFORMATION TOWARDS SDGs
World population keeps growing; obesity is rising to the highest level, while food insecurity is forcing people to migrate. Food is wasted instead of feeding the hungry.
We have to tackle such challenges now. It is the only way to ensure a future for humankind, for our Planet, for each of us.
Together we will pave the way for answering concretely the most critical questions for the future of food sustainability.
Food and nutrition are defining features of the 21st century and can contribute to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
For this to happen, we need a better understanding of how food systems and nutrition patterns will impact and/or contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the roles of international organizations, governments, research and academia, civil society and private sector in this process.
The 9th edition of the BCFN International Forum on and Nutrition will be held on November 27-28, 2018. It will provide a unique opportunity to advance food, nutrition and sustainability in this Agenda, and better explore the relationship between food systems, nutrition, sustainable agriculture, development and migration.
International Forum On Food And Nutrition
Registrations are now open for the BCFN Foundation International Forum on Food and Nutrition which will be held on September 28 in New York, at Barnard College - Columbia University.
What impact and contribution do food systems and nutritional models have on achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)?
How can we ensure healthy nutrition while protecting the Planet and ensuring peace and prosperity for all?
The International Forum on Food and Nutrition held in New York – immediately following the 73rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA73) – and organized in collaboration with the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN SDSN), will try to answer these questions.
The conference will be divided in three sessions:
The first will focus in detail on the three paradoxes that clearly highlight the contradictions of our food system: hunger vs obesity; competition for natural resources between people, animals, and vehicles, and food waste and loss. In particular, we will analyze the current global nutrition crisis, as 815 million people around the world are starving while obesity levels keep rising.
The second session will examine the central role that agriculture, nutrition, and food currently plays, and will continue to play in the future, on migration, in order to develop sustainable food systems and promote development in rural areas.
The third session will be dedicated to concrete solutions, from a global and local perspective, to move towards sustainable urban food systems, promoting active participation and encouraging discussion.
The New York Forum is the second appointment set by the BCFN Foundation for 2018, in fact, for the first time, this year in addition to the Milan edition (November 27 and 28, 2018), the Forum was also held in Brussels, on June 6.
Since 2009, the objective behind the organization of BCFN Foundation main annual event has been to promote exchanges between Science, Politics, and Society, on a national and international level, and provide an opportunity for interdisciplinary discussions on nutrition and sustainability, because there are questions about food that seem to involve a remote future, but the answers are needed today.
Barilla Center For Food And Nutrition Joins The Conversation On Food Sustainability
The Italy-based foundation is holding a September summit in New York to inform the world about how what we eat impacts the rest of the planet.
AUTHOR Megan Poinski@meganpoinski
September 1, 2018
Many would agree that a sustainable and robust food supply is important. But recent research from the Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition shows just how vital it is.
"It's a geopolitical analysis of the relationship between sustainable food systems and migration," Valentina Gasbarri, communication and external relations manager for the Italy-based foundation, told Food Dive during a recent trip to the United States. "What we found out was that the root causes for migration, particularly in the Mediterranean region, was more due to food scarcity and food insecurity than causes related to conflict and political instability."
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The report came out in December as a joint venture between the foundation, which studies the relationship between food, nutrition, and sustainability and makes policy recommendations, and geopolitical research firm MacroGeo. It concentrates on the Mediterranean area, which includes the foundation's home country of Italy, and has lately been at the center of the European immigration debate. But its implications are much wider throughout the world, showing how forces like climate change, societal shifts, and immigration policies impact the global food market.
This kind of food policy idea is at the heart of what the Barilla Center is trying to identify and share. The organization was started in 2009 by the family behind the pasta mega-brand, which is the market leader in Italy. Luca Di Leo, head of media relations for the Barilla Center, said the Barillas wanted to establish a research center to "look at the very important food sustainability issues of our time."
"The root causes for migration, particularly in the Mediterranean region, was more due to food scarcity and food insecurity than causes related to conflict and political instability."
Valentina Gasbarri: Communication and external relations manager, Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition
At the start, the center looked at the price of durum wheat — a major component of dried Barilla noodles — but also energy use. Today, its research looks more at the broad view of global sustainability and the food industry.
The foundation, which partners with well-known research firms, holds an annual forum to discuss some of the major sustainability issues. For the first time this year, the forum is being held outside Italy, with a session recently held in Brussels, and one planned for Sept. 28 in New York City, coinciding with the UN General Assembly session and co-organized by the U.N. Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Gasbarri said the intent of the forum is to gather several of the world's leaders on sustainable development and food policy and high-level discussions on three macro-themes: the global nutritional crisis, best practices for development in areas that see large levels of migrants coming and going, and how food relates to the U.N.'s sustainable development goals.
"It's something that is underestimated in the current research, even at the policy level," Gasbarri said. "We're trying to see what kind of best practices, experience from the field and concrete limitations to the achievement of the [sustainable development goals] that countries are doing."
Credit: Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition
Raising awareness of food sustainability
One of the symbols commonly associated with the Barilla Center looks like a set of two triangles facing different directions. One of them is the well known "food pyramid," showing how many servings of different types of food are healthy and make up a balanced diet. The one next to it is upside down.
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"Basically, the breakthrough that the Barilla Foundation did was gather all of the scientific data and evidence and show that what is good for people — fruits and vegetables, at the bottom of the pyramid — is also good for the planet — meaning that to make fruits and vegetables, you use less water that the food products that are on the top," Di Leo said. "You use less land, and there are fewer CO2 emissions."
"...Depending on what you believe in — in Mother Nature or God — things were done properly because by eating all of this, you do something that is good for your own health and good for the planet," he said.
And looking at how closely different nations follow the second pyramid is a big part of what is becoming an annual study from the Barilla Center: The Food Sustainability Index. Done jointly by the Barilla Center and The Economist Intelligence Unit, the index looked at 34 countries that make up 85% of the world's GDP. Researchers looked at demographic and economic factors — including population, income levels and urbanization — food loss and waste, sustainable agriculture, nutritional challenges — including vitamin deficiencies, access to improved water sources and dietary patterns, and physical activity.
"Depending on what you believe in — in Mother Nature or God — things were done properly because by eating all of this, you do something that is good for your own health and good for the planet."
Luca Di Leo
Head of media relations, Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition
Under this index, France is the most sustainable country. The United States, on the other hand, ranks 21st. Di Leo and Gasbarri said this is due to many Americans' dietary choices, including the nation's love of beef and sugary items. According to specific statistics about the nation's performance in the index, the U.S. has the highest prevalence of overweight children (42%), and 71% of adults can be considered overweight or obese. The United States also is one of the worst countries when it comes to sustainable agriculture, ranking 31st.
But the report isn't intended to shame countries, Gasbarri said.
"[We're] trying to back up something that is very difficult to highlight to the Nebraska housewife ... those very hard topics and theoretical themes to the level of understanding," she said. "We're trying to raise awareness, and even to make people cautious and conscious of the ... daily food choices."
Credit: Public domain pictures
Inspiring global change
The organization and its studies have yet to make a significant impact — although its home country of Italy did pass some legislation dealing with food waste following publication of the sustainability report. This is part of the reason the foundation is spreading its wings and hosting summits worldwide.
"The end goal is to get policymakers and civil society in general ... to basically make food more sustainable," Di Leo said. "The index is what we see as a possible guiding light for policymakers to follow."
"The end goal is to get policymakers and civil society in general ... to basically make food more sustainable. The index is what we see as a possible guiding light for policymakers to follow."
Luca Di Leo
Head of media relations, Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition
The forum in New York is planned for stakeholders ranging from governments to industry to consumer groups to researchers to consumers. Topics that will be discussed include addressing the nutrition crisis and food paradoxes — focusing on why many people in the world are starving and many others are obese — the role agriculture and food play in migration and finding actionable ways to make food more sustainable. According to a draft of the agenda, speakers will include UN staff, academics, and researchers.
"The general message that we want to say is to highlight the link that each single [UN sustainable development goal] has with food," Gasbarri said. "It tends to be underestimated in the current research and even at the policy level."
And while this forum is not expected to immediately impact domestic and international policy, it's a start to the conversations and examinations that need to take place. Gasbarri said that food is both a part of the world's problems and solution, and the forum will start many parties on the positive path of making a difference.
Di Leo agreed that the forum is a step in the right direction.
"By making the right choices, we can change the world," Di Leo said.
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Filed Under: Policy Meat / Protein Sustainability