Hidden Risks Beyond Food Labels

We all want to know what is inside the package of food that we are buying. Individuals look for different things when reading labels, such as calories, sugar, saturated fat, or ingredients that trigger an allergy. In the United States, food labeling and ingredients are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These regulations exist to ensure that our food is safe and that the labels accurately reflect what is contained inside the package.  For the health conscious consumer, labels help us make informed purchasing decisions based upon the ingredients listed.

Natural, but not glyphosate free

Manufacturers will try and entice consumers by using certain words that will send a positive message about their product to the general population. Perhaps no word has been used more than the word "natural." For years this word has appeared on products to imply a sense of wholesomeness and goodness. It has no clear regulatory definition under the FDA and its use has been criticized by consumer groups since products labeled as "natural" can contain highly processed foods or foods that have been genetically engineered. 

According to the FDA's website it "has considered the term “natural” to mean that nothing artificial or synthetic  (including all color additives regardless of source) has been included in, or has been added to, a food that would not normally be expected to be in that food.  However, this policy was not intended to address food production methods, such as the use of pesticides, nor did it explicitly address food processing or manufacturing methods, such as thermal technologies, pasteurization, or irradiation." In 2015, in response to three Citizen Petitions requesting that the FDA define or ban the term "natural", the FDA opened a public comment period on the term "natural" and how it should be regulated. Over 4,000 comments were received. Further information can be accessed under Docket Number FDA-2014-N-1207.
I could not find information on the website as to whether or not the FDA has begun or will be proceeding with formal rule-making.

When I read labels, I am looking for products that are made with whole foods, no artificial ingredients and few additives. I also try and avoid genetically modified ingredients, primarily because I don't want to be exposed to the herbicide glyphosate (aka Roundup) or any other pesticide to which a plant has been genetically modified to resist. Unfortunately, making sure that a product only contains non-genetically modified whole grains is not adequate to avoid exposure to glyphosate. I used to think that  Quaker Oats which contains one ingredient - whole grain rolled oats would be safe. Unfortunately, this is not the case. The cereal which has been registered since 1877 has undergone a transformation in recent years, specifically in the way the oats are harvested.That is in order to control weeds the following year and to speed up a crop's maturity and hasten drying time to prevent spoilage, glyphosate is applied 3 - 5 days before harvest. 

On Quaker's own website they provide this information regarding glyphosate:

"Quaker does not add glyphosate during any part of the milling process. Glyphosate is commonly used by farmers across the industry who apply it pre-harvest. Once the oats are transported to us, we put them through our rigorous process that thoroughly cleanses them (de-hulled, cleaned, roasted and flaked). Any levels of glyphosate that may remain are trace amounts and significantly below any limits which have been set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as safe for human consumption. It’s important to put this into perspective. The typical consumer would, on average, have to consume approximately 1,000 bowls of oatmeal a day to even come close the safe limit set by the US government. We proudly stand by the safety and quality of all of our products. Producing healthy, wholesome food is Quaker's number one priority and we've been doing that for nearly 140 years."


In a recent sampling of various oat products, including steel cut oats and infant oatmeal, the FDA found glyphosate levels of up to 1.67 ppm. The organic oats all tested below the detection limit. Although the levels were all below the U.S. EPA's maximum residual limit of ppm. However, since the World Health Organization declared glyphosate a probably human carcinogen in 2015, the safety of this limit has been called into question. Other grains are sprayed with glyphosate prior to harvest as well - these including wheat, barley, canola and flax. Hopefully the FDA will act soon to clarify the definition of "natural" and will prevent it from being used with crops that have been sprayed with herbicides to force maturity. Until then, this is one more reason to buy organic.