LAKE WORTH BEACH, Fla. – Florida officials released a new round of food tests Thursday, and this time they’re taking aim at some popular bread brands.
First Lady Casey DeSantis and Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Florida surgeon general, were in Lake Worth Beach to release the results of the latest round of Healthy Florida Initiative reports looking at different groups of food.
[WATCH: Elevated levels:’ Florida tests 46 candy brands. Here’s what it found]
“Independent testing from certified third-party labs found triple-digit glyphosate levels in widely consumed brands, including Nature’s Own Butter Bread, Nature’s Own Perfect Crafted White, Wonder Bread, Classic White and Honey Wheat,” DeSantis said. “In contrast, Sara Lee Artisanal White and Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse White had no detectable glyphosate levels.”
Glyphosate is the world’s most widely used weed killer, with brands like Roundup. It’s primarily used on genetically-engineered crops, and by homeowners for killing weeds.
However, the federal government has downplayed cancer risks for the general public.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has established tolerances for safe use of the herbicide for crops like grains, ranging from 0.1 to 400 parts per million. The EPA says glyphosate has low toxicity for people, and continues to claim there are no risks to public health.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer, however, believes glyphosate may be a carcinogen.
[WATCH the full news conference]
The EPA says it’s updating its evaluation to better explain its findings.
The Food and Drug Administration says it follows the EPA’s lead.
Last year, the Trump administration filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court that sided with Roundup’s parent company, Bayer, asking the court to shield the company from lawsuits over cancer claims.
The Trump administration said states should not be able to apply failure-to-warn laws in lawsuits against the company.
However, DeSantis and Ladapo are trying to get other states to join the effort to conduct independent testing and use it to get the FDA to respond.
“The FDA really looks for problematic instances within the food supply, and then they’re able to swoop in and hold people accountable. But what we need to do is be able to bring this to their attention, through a coalition of the states, to ensure that we can provide, again, that trust but verify factor to ensure the integrity of the food supply for you, for the people, for liberty, and for the American citizen,” DeSantis said.
The Health Florida Initiative has issued reports on candy and baby formula, and DeSantis says they are just getting started.