Weed Killer In Beer And Wine? Is Nothing Sacred?
The U.S. consumer watchdog group PIRG has released a report finding that a common weed-killing chemical, glyphosate, has been found in several beer and wine brands. But before you dump your Malbec down the drain, you should know that the levels of glyphosate are still far below the E.P.A.’s official risk tolerance levels.
A spokesperson for the Wine Institute told USA Today that a person would have to drink 140 glasses of wine a day containing the highest glyphosate level measured to reach a level that the state of California has identified as “no significant risk.” Nevertheless, PIRG believes that consumers have the right to know that a chemical commonly used in Roundup is in their adult beverage. Uh, yeah!
Here are the brands identified in the report:
Beers
Tsingtao – 49.7 parts per billion
Coors Light- 31.1 parts per billion
Miller Lite – 29.8 parts per billion
Budweiser – 27.0 parts per billion
Corona Extra – 25.1 parts per billion
Heineken – 20.9 parts per billion
Guinness Draught – 20.3 parts per billion
Stella Artois – 18.7 parts per billion
Ace Perry Hard Cider – 14.5 parts per billion
Sierra Nevada Pale Ale – 11.8 parts per billion
New Belgium Fat Tire – 11.2 parts per billion
Samuel Adams New England IPA – 11.0 parts per billion
Stella Artois Cidre – 9.1 parts per billion
Samuel Smith’s Organic Lager – 5.7 parts per billion
Wines
Sutter Home Merlot – 51.4 parts per billion
Beringer Estates Moscato – 42.6 parts per billion
Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon – 36.3 parts per billion
Inkarri Estates Malbec: Certified Organic – 5.3 parts per billion
Frey Organic Natural Wine Blend – 4.8 parts per billion