Monsanto pesticide in German beer

The Environmental Institute Munich tested the 14 most commonly drunk beers in Germany for residues of glyphosate, the most commonly used pesticide. The shocking result: Residues of glyphosate were found in every type of beer tested - and well above the limit value.

Glyphosate is by far the most commonly used pesticide active ingredient in Germany - around 5,400 tons of it are used nationwide every year. According to the World Health Organization, the total herbicide is mutagenic and "probably carcinogenic." The values measured ranged from 0.46 micrograms per liter (µg/l) to 29.74 µg/l, and in extreme cases were almost 300 times higher than the legal limit for drinking water (0.1 µg/l).

"All the beers tested contained the pesticide glyphosate. This threatens to make a mockery of the German Purity Law in its 500th anniversary year of all places," said biologist Sophia Guttenberger of the Munich Environmental Institute. "A substance that is probably carcinogenic has no place in beer or in our bodies." Germans consume an average of 107 liters of beer per year and thus also unknowingly ingest glyphosate. This is not compatible with the image of purity and naturalness that German breweries stand for, Guttenberger said.

"We appeal to the breweries to now closely examine their products and ingredients. They must clarify how glyphosate could get into the beer and ensure in the future that their products are free of pesticide residues," the biologist demanded.

To the Detailed results.