Once again Monsanto is making headlines; and yet again, those headlines allude to a bigger picture of a company rife with corruption and deceitful practices, such as many suspected all along.
German beer enthusiasts were shocked to find out on Thursday that an environmental group announced that it found traces of the widely used weed-killer ingredient glyphosate in Germany’s 14 most popular beers; a potential blow to the country’s reputation for “pure” brewing. The Munich Environmental Institute found glyphosate readings between 0.46 and 29.74 micrograms per liter in the 14 different beers. The highest reading was 300 times the legal limit of glyphosate in drinking water in Germany, calling this contamination level, “alarming.”
This is a shocking discovery in light of the statement released last year by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, showing that glyphosate is a “probable carcinogen.” The use of “probable” in the phrasing is attributed to a small variable in one aspect of the study that did not allow the findings to be stated as conclusive; yet the findings are profound and have caused nations to begin banning the dangerous product.
These high glyphosate levels were even found in beer that is supposed to be brewed using only simple natural ingredients. Germans have been purists when is comes to the creation of beer for over 500 years. Their “beer purity” is a subject of pride for them, which is why many create beer using the simplest of ingredients: only water, malt, and hops, none of which should contain anything other than natural components themselves.
The finding of this chemical in a product that is not supposed to have any association or connection to Monsanto chemicals, highlights the fact that these chemicals are finding their way into foods and plants that are not supposed to have them, especially products that are meant to be pure and organic in nature. Monsanto actively claims that this type of cross-contamination does not happen, and more so continues to claim that glyphosate is not at all dangerous, despite the evidence to the contrary.
The EU commission was looking to extend its approval for the use of glyphosate in Germany, as well as other EU countries in April for another 15 years. As the current license runs out this summer, this new discovery of unwanted and unintended chemical infusion into their beloved beer does not bode well for Monsanto’s license renewal.
Germany’s farm federation has denied any responsibility to the unknown and authorized addition, claiming that malt derived from glyphosate-sprayed barley has been banned in Germany. The federation does however admit that glyphosate could have been used on the same farm land prior to the ban, which means that the barley might now be growing in glyphosate-drenched soil. This has far-reaching implications that go far beyond beer, and into the future of all land once “drenched” by glyphosate.
Despite the many different controversial Monsanto bombshells hitting the news in the last few months, the company seems to be going strong. Any other company that would have been found guilty of poisoning by an entire nation, would quickly have been boycotted, never to be heard from again. It would seem that the United States now has companies, as well as banks, that are “too big to fail.” With its bosom buddy the good ol’ US of A here to make sure that their multitude of dangerous products are used by Americans, by way of forceful politics if necessary, the company does not need to worry about what the public thinks. That in and of itself says it all. A company that no longer cares what the very consumers buying their products think about their practices and products themselves, is no longer a company, but a government agency as Americans have come to know them: telling the people what they are allowed to do and allowed to do it with, while reaping the immoral benefits.
Sources: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-beer-idUSKCN0VY222, http://www.dw.com/en/germanys-beer-purity-law-marks-500th-anniversary/a-18990589
http://kfolta.blogspot.ca/2016/02/a-frosty-mug-of-glyphobia.html
I feel that people are getting too hung up on showing examples of how the traces of the chemical found in the beer are not toxic at their currently low levels, instead of having the appropriate level of outrage that this chemical in being found with these beers in the first place. Is that not shocking enough? These beers specifically are made with very basic ingredients that should not have anything in them other than their already natural components. Despite how many beers it would actually take to reach a toxic level, and the fact that we are not considering the multitude of other products now finding unauthorized glyphosate within, shouldn’t we as a people be upset that we are consuming these chemicals in the first place; as well as the fact that up until now we have been consuming these chemicals without knowing it. Wake up people, and stop buying the nicely packaged narrative that tells you all will be ok if you just trust the man behind the curtain…
You should be more concerned about the alcohol …a known carcinogen. Why don’t you suggest for people to quit drinking alcohol instead of fear mongoring over minute traces of glyphosate found in these particular beer itself. Do you not think that might be a tad more productive…The poison is in the dose.
Any rational minded individual that read my previous reply (which you seemed to have either not read or simply ignored) would see that our points are based in logic, not fear. Even one who disagrees can see the logic in the argument. So the use of the word “fear-monger” says all we need to know about you sir, you reveal yourself. You should know that we have in fact written many times about how alcohol is by far the worst substance to put in your body, and we frequently advocate for alcohol abstinence. As it seems you did not even read my response, or address my counter points, so I will leave you to your lack of critical thinking or intentional misinformation, which is obviously the case. Either way, you clearly had your mind made up before you even read the article, so good luck to you sir, and we will continue to fight for your well-being even if you will not.
I think I will stick with the logic in the blog post from Kevin in regard to Glyphosate in German beer. Sorry you tried, you really did. I really liked the part about fighting the good fight for me. Nice touch…lol