Why glyphosate in UK food is back in the spotlight
Glyphosate has been called many things: an agricultural workhorse, a “probable carcinogen”, and the world’s most widely used herbicide. In the UK, it’s also something else: a regular, if usually low-level, contaminant in our food.
So how much glyphosate is actually turning up on UK supermarket shelves? What does the latest data say about health risks? And, if you’d rather not have weedkiller with your toast, what can you realistically do to reduce your exposure?
This article walks through the most recent monitoring results, the scientific debate on health impacts, and some practical steps you can take at home – without pretending you need to move to a self-sufficient smallholding tomorrow.
Where does glyphosate show up in UK food?
Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum herbicide used to kill weeds in arable crops, grasslands, orchards, vineyards and along railways and roads. In UK agriculture it is most commonly used on:
- Cereals – particularly wheat, barley and oats (including as a pre-harvest desiccant in some cases)
- Oilseed rape – to control weeds before sowing and pre-harvest
- Beans and pulses – as a desiccant
- Non-crop areas – field margins, paths, amenity areas
Because of this pattern of use, residues are most likely in:
- Bread, flour and other cereal-based foods
- Breakfast cereals and crackers
- Porridge oats and oat-based snacks
- Imported pulses and soya-containing foods
Glyphosate is water-soluble and relatively persistent in the environment. It can bind to soil and be transported by surface water, and it has been regularly detected in surface waters in Europe. Unlike PFAS, it does degrade over time, but not quickly enough to avoid repeated, chronic low-level exposure when usage is widespread.
The latest UK data: what monitoring actually shows
In the UK, pesticide residues in food are monitored under the official programme overseen by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and reported by the Expert Committee on Pesticide Residues in Food (PRiF). Samples are bought from normal retail outlets and tested for hundreds of pesticides, including glyphosate.
Key points from the most recent sets of published data (up to around 2022–2023) include:
- Glyphosate is frequently detected
In cereal and cereal-based products, glyphosate is among the more commonly found residues. Detection does not automatically mean a safety breach, but it does mean exposure is widespread and routine. - Most samples are below legal limits
The majority of samples with glyphosate residues are below the Maximum Residue Level (MRL). UK MRLs are largely aligned with EU levels and are set to ensure that lifetime and short-term exposures remain within toxicological reference values.
A small proportion of samples in monitoring programmes each year exceed MRLs, often due to imported produce not complying with use instructions or using different authorised rates overseas. These exceedances typically trigger investigations by regulators and, in some cases, product withdrawals. - Bread and cereals remain a key exposure route
PRiF reports have repeatedly shown glyphosate in:- Wheat-based bread and rolls
- Breakfast cereals – particularly oat-based products
- Flour and crackers
In most cases, residues are present but low.
- Infant foods are more tightly controlled
Baby foods and infant cereal products are monitored closely and have much lower MRLs. Where glyphosate is detected in these products, levels are generally very low and often below the quantifiable limit.
These official results are broadly consistent with independent testing by NGOs in Europe and the UK, which have also detected glyphosate residues in bread, cereals and urine samples of the general population, although methodologies and detection limits vary.
Is “below the legal limit” the same as safe?
Regulators typically frame the story like this: glyphosate residues are often found, but levels are usually below MRLs and therefore not a concern for consumer health. That statement is technically precise – but it hides several layers of nuance.
MRLs are not health-based limits in themselves
Maximum Residue Levels are primarily trade and enforcement standards, not pure safety thresholds. They are set based on “Good Agricultural Practice” (how much residue you’d expect if the farmer followed label instructions) and then checked against health-based guidance values such as:
- ADI (Acceptable Daily Intake) – the amount you can ingest every day over a lifetime without appreciable risk, according to current toxicology.
- ARfD (Acute Reference Dose) – the amount you can ingest in a single meal or day without appreciable risk.
Food safety agencies then run dietary exposure models, using consumption data, to ensure that typical and high-end consumers stay below these thresholds.
But those thresholds themselves are contested
Here is where glyphosate becomes controversial. Different expert bodies have reached different conclusions about its potential to cause cancer and other health effects:
- IARC (WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer)
In 2015, IARC classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans” (Group 2A), based on:- “Limited” evidence of carcinogenicity in humans (particularly non-Hodgkin lymphoma in occupationally exposed populations)
- “Sufficient” evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals
- Mechanistic evidence such as genotoxicity and oxidative stress in some studies
IARC’s focus is on hazard – whether a substance can cause cancer under some circumstances, not whether typical dietary exposure does.
- EFSA and ECHA (EU agencies)
Subsequent EU assessments by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) did not classify glyphosate as carcinogenic, arguing that the totality of available data did not support that hazard classification under EU rules. - Other health concerns beyond cancer
Research has also explored potential:- Endocrine-disrupting effects
- Impacts on the gut microbiome, given glyphosate’s mode of action on the shikimate pathway in plants and microorganisms
- Developmental and reproductive toxicity
Evidence here is mixed and often contested, with differing results between industry-sponsored studies and some academic research, particularly when looking at formulated products (glyphosate plus surfactants) rather than the active ingredient alone.
All of this means that when regulators state that current dietary exposure is “not a health concern”, that judgement is anchored in a particular reading of the evidence and particular safety factors. For chemicals that are widespread, persistent or used at scale – like PFAS and glyphosate – many scientists and public health advocates argue for a more precautionary interpretation, especially for vulnerable groups such as children and pregnant people.
Glyphosate, PFAS and the bigger picture of chemical mixtures
Why does a PFAS-focused blog care about a herbicide like glyphosate? Because the fundamental challenges are strikingly similar:
- Chronic low-level exposure – Most of us are not acutely poisoned by single high doses; we are exposed to small amounts of many chemicals every day, from multiple sources.
- Mixture effects – Safety assessments largely look at glyphosate in isolation, just as PFAS are often assessed individually, even though real-world exposure involves cocktails of pesticides, plasticisers, PFAS, metals and more.
- Regulatory lag – Scientific understanding of potential harm often evolves faster than regulatory frameworks, leaving a gap that can last years or decades.
- Disproportionate exposure – Agricultural workers, rural communities and certain consumer groups (for example, high cereal consumers, or those relying heavily on processed foods) may shoulder higher burdens.
When you step back, the question becomes less “Is this one glyphosate residue sample under the MRL?” and more “How comfortable are we with systemic, lifelong exposure to complex chemical mixtures where some components are persistent, some are bioactive at very low doses, and our toxicology models are still catching up?”
What do current health risk assessments say?
UK risk assessments for dietary exposure to glyphosate largely build on international reviews and the former EU authorisation. In general, they conclude:
- Typical consumers are unlikely to exceed the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) from food alone, based on monitoring data and food consumption surveys.
- High consumers of cereals – such as children who eat large portions of breakfast cereals and bread relative to their body weight – are still estimated to be below the ADI, though margins of safety can be tighter in some exposure scenarios.
- Acute exposures (single-day high intake) are not expected to exceed the Acute Reference Dose (ARfD) for glyphosate from legal uses.
However, there are several caveats:
- Formulated products vs active ingredient – Many toxicity studies focus on glyphosate alone, while people (and ecosystems) are typically exposed to commercial formulations that contain co-formulants which can increase toxicity.
- Non-dietary exposure – Risk assessments often consider diet separately from drinking water and from occupational or residential exposure (e.g. using glyphosate-based products in gardens or on allotments).
- Sensitive windows – Standard toxicology testing may not fully capture endocrine or developmental effects that occur at critical periods of foetal or early life development.
In the context of scientific uncertainty and the experience with PFAS, many independent researchers advocate for a more conservative approach: reduce avoidable exposure where feasible, especially in foods eaten daily by children.
Practical ways to reduce your glyphosate exposure
You can’t personally regulate UK agriculture or rewrite pesticide law. But you can meaningfully reduce your own exposure – and, collectively, consumer choices send signals back up the supply chain.
1. Rethink your grains and breakfast cereals
Cereal products are consistently among the most frequent sources of glyphosate residues. Helpful steps include:
- Prioritise organic for high-consumption grain products – Organic standards in the UK prohibit the use of synthetic herbicides like glyphosate. If your budget allows, consider choosing organic:
- Porridge oats and oat-based cereals
- Children’s breakfast cereals
- Everyday bread and flour (especially if you eat them several times a day)
Even partial switching – for the foods you and your family eat most frequently – can reduce overall intake.
- Vary your grains – Rotating wheat and oat-based products with alternatives such as barley, rye, buckwheat or quinoa (ideally organic where possible) can avoid repetitive exposure from the same commodity.
2. Pay attention to pulses and imported products
Pulses (lentils, chickpeas, beans) and some imported crops may be treated with glyphosate pre-harvest. To reduce exposure:
- Choose organic pulses when feasible.
- If buying conventional dried pulses, rinse and soak thoroughly before cooking, discarding the soaking water.
- For processed foods with soya or imported grains, seek brands that publish information about pesticide reduction or organic sourcing.
3. Wash, peel, but don’t rely on it entirely
Washing produce under running water, peeling where appropriate and cooking can reduce some surface residues, but:
- Glyphosate can be systemic – taken up inside the plant – so washing has limited impact on residues in grains and seeds.
- It is still worth doing basic produce hygiene for other pesticides and microbes, but don’t assume it removes all glyphosate.
4. Filter your drinking water where it makes sense
Glyphosate has been detected in surface waters in many countries, though UK drinking water is treated and monitored against strict standards. Conventional water treatment is not optimised for pesticides (or PFAS), but it does remove many contaminants to low levels.
At home, some point-of-use filtration systems – such as high-quality activated carbon filters, reverse osmosis units or combined systems – can reduce a range of organic contaminants, including some herbicides. If you are already investing in filtration to reduce PFAS, you may gain an additional, if variable, benefit for glyphosate and other pesticides.
5. Limit domestic glyphosate use
Diet is only part of the story. If you use weedkillers at home:
- Avoid or phase out glyphosate-based products in gardens, driveways and allotments.
- Use mechanical methods (hand weeding, mulching, hoeing) or alternative non-chemical approaches where feasible.
- If you must use a herbicide, follow label instructions meticulously, avoid windy conditions and keep children and pets away until the treated area is dry.
6. Support systemic change
Consumer behaviour matters, but it cannot carry the whole burden. Reducing glyphosate in the food chain ultimately depends on changes in agricultural practice and regulation. You can:
- Support farmers and brands adopting integrated weed management and reduced pesticide use.
- Engage with public consultations on pesticide approvals and national action plans.
- Back organisations pushing for better monitoring of mixtures, more transparent data and precautionary standards for persistent and bioactive chemicals.
How worried should you be – and what’s a realistic approach?
Seen through the lens of PFAS, it’s tempting to put glyphosate into the same mental bucket: another chemical we didn’t worry about enough, for long enough. There are important differences – glyphosate is not as environmentally persistent as PFAS, and its toxicological profile is not identical – but the pattern of precaution delayed is uncomfortably familiar.
A balanced stance might look like this:
- Acknowledge the uncertainty – The scientific community is not monolithic on glyphosate. When credible bodies disagree about carcinogenicity, that signals legitimate uncertainty, not hysteria.
- Act where it’s easiest – Switching a few staple foods to organic, limiting personal herbicide use and varying your diet are low-regret decisions with multiple co-benefits, regardless of how the glyphosate debate ultimately lands.
- Think in terms of cumulative load – Glyphosate is just one piece of a larger chemical puzzle. Steps that reduce total chemical exposure – fewer ultra-processed foods, more whole plant-based ingredients, cleaner water, less household pesticide use – move the needle in the right direction overall.
- Push for better systems, not perfect personal purity – The goal is not to eliminate every microgram of every contaminant from your life, but to nudge food systems towards producing healthy food without unnecessary chemical inputs.
In the UK, glyphosate in food is not an acute emergency. But it is a clear example of how our reliance on chemical shortcuts in agriculture quietly reshapes what ends up on our plates – and in our bodies. Combining individual choices with pressure for more transparent, precautionary regulation is the most effective way to ensure that “acceptable risk” is defined with public health, not just agronomic convenience, at its core.