(NaturalPath) According to a YouGov poll, a prohibition on the herbicide ingredient, glyphosate, was backed by three-quarters of Italians, 70 percent of Germans, 60 percent of French and 56 percent of Britons. The survey covered more than 7,000 people across the five biggest countries in the EU.
The poll is cited in an article by TheGuardian.com, that also notes that, “Previous tests have found traces of the residue in the urine of people from 18 different European countries, and in over 60 percent of breads sold in the UK.” Glyphosate was also detected in Germany’s 14 best-selling beers.
There is a bit of division over glyphosate as the WHO dubbed it “probably carcinogenic to humans” while the EU’s European Food Safety Authority (Efsa) declared it “unlikely” to pose a public health risk.
Some groups are saying more studies need to be conducted, while those on the side of the pesticide’s use note that there are 90,000 pages of evidence and 3,300 peer-reviewed studies in favor of glyphosate’s approval.
The article notes a separate YouGov poll for the European Crop Protection Association (Ecpa) that found that 58 percent of Britons agreed with the statement: “To keep our food affordable, I think that farmers should be able to tackle weeds, pests and disease with pesticides”. Twenty-one percent disagreed.
Overall, people in Europe don’t want glyphosate used, Americans should follow suit.
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.