25 May You Can’t Afford to Ignore Organic Food Anymore: Here’s Why

Why Organic Matters

People often ask me, “Why buy organic? It’s so expensive.” It’s because I’m aware of the growing body of research showing the harmful effects of chemicals used in industrial farming methods like crop-dusting entire fields. Increasing evidence shows that glyphosate, a widely used herbicide patented by Monsanto, contaminates our food and has been linked to gut disturbances, food sensitivities, cancer, and other health concerns in the U.S.

What Glyphosate Does

Glyphosate is absorbed by plants and travels throughout their tissues, disrupting vital biological processes and ultimately killing the entire weed. On large industrial farms, it’s more efficient to apply glyphosate to entire fields during the growing season using crop dusting rather than manually spraying individual weeds.

In addition, glyphosate is often applied directly to crops again, after harvest, as a desiccant to help dry them out for easier harvesting. Unfortunately, herbicide residues remain on, and in, the plants.

As a result, we are eating glyphosate-laced foods. That glyphosate disrupts the beneficial bacteria in our gut microbiome, which are vital for digestion, immunity, and overall health. A study published in “Frontiers in Microbiology” found that glyphosate exposure alters gut bacteria by reducing beneficial populations and increasing harmful ones, potentially leading to health issues.¹

Understanding the scope of glyphosate contamination in our food supply is critical to protecting public health, as more scientific evidence continues to link glyphosate with cancer, specifically non-Hodgkin lymphoma in farmers who are regularly using this chemical.²

The Glyphosate Problem in Food

Heavily influenced by powerful industry lobbyists, U.S. agencies like the EPA and FDA have failed to enforce strict Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) as compared to other countries.

For example:
• Wheat Flour: US has no established MRL, while the EU allows 10 parts per million (ppm), and Canada allows 5 ppm.
• Canola Oil: The U.S. has no specific MRL, while both the EU and Canada enforce a limit of 0.1 ppm.
• Oats: The U.S. allows 30 ppm, compared to 0.1 ppm in the EU and 15 ppm in Canada.

Such stark differences raise serious concerns about the objectivity of U.S. regulators and whether they can still be trusted to safeguard our long-term health.

Organic Food: A Necessity, Not a Luxury

Organic farming prohibits synthetic herbicides like glyphosate, drastically reducing exposure risks. Beyond the organic label, buying from local farmers who avoid pesticides, ensures you’re getting fresher, cleaner food while supporting sustainable practices and your local economy.

There’s now overwhelming evidence linking non-organic, chemically treated food to long-term health risks. It might feel like you’re saving money at the checkout, but in reality, you’re paying with your health.

Footnotes
1. Motta, E.V.S., Raymann, K., & Moran, N.A. (2018). Glyphosate perturbs the gut microbiota of honey bees. Frontiers in Microbiology, 9, 1239. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.01239 PMC
2. Mesnage, R., Defarge, N., Spiroux de Vendômois, J., and Séralini, G. E. (2018). Potential toxic effects of glyphosate and its commercial formulations below regulatory limits. Food and Chemical Toxicology, 128, 137–153. NIH

Additional resources:
Environmental Working Group – https://www.ewg.org/areas-focus

Image credit: F1Digitals via Pixabay