Glyphosate, Our Food System, and Why This Conversation Matters

Glyphosate is insidious.

It’s in the food we eat. It’s been detected in rainwater. And even when we try to “eat clean,” exposure can still happen. Let’s talk about what’s really going on — and what we can actually do about it.

Glyphosate in Our Food

The Environmental Working Group has tested popular oat-based foods and found:

• Over 75% of oat products tested contained glyphosate levels above 160 parts per billion (a benchmark EWG uses as protective for children).

• Independent reporting has found glyphosate residues in the majority of sampled school lunch foods.

Children are especially vulnerable to cumulative toxic exposures. And because glyphosate is so widely used, small exposures can add up over time.

Why Is It Everywhere?

Our industrial farming system is built around it.

Modern large-scale agriculture commonly relies on:

• Roundup-ready seeds

• Repeated glyphosate spraying

• Pre-harvest desiccation (spraying crops like wheat shortly before harvest to dry them uniformly)

• Heavy tilling

This system is efficient and predictable — but highly chemical dependent.

And here’s something most people don’t realize:

Even organically farmed produce — when grown in systems that rely heavily on soil tilling — can be nutrient depleted.

Tilling disrupts soil microbiology, damages fungal networks, and oxidizes organic matter. Over time, this can lead to soil that is structurally organic but biologically impoverished. Organic without soil regeneration is not the same as regenerative. Healthy soil biology is what creates nutrient-dense food.

The Import Dependence We Need To Talk About

Bayer is currently the only domestic producer of glyphosate in the U.S.

According to Farmers Business Network (FBN), in 2024 the U.S. imported approximately 99% of its generic glyphosate from China.

That means our industrial farming system — which feeds most Americans and most livestock — is almost entirely dependent on imported herbicide.

Recently, Donald Trump issued an order declaring glyphosate a national defense priority. This sparked outrage among many in the organic community. But whether you agree or disagree politically, one thing is clear: Our agricultural system is structurally dependent on glyphosate. That’s not sustainable long term.

Glyphosate & Gut Health

Glyphosate was originally used as an industrial pipe cleaner, then patented as an antibiotic.

Research suggests it may:

• Disrupt beneficial gut bacteria

• Reduce microbial diversity

• Contribute to gut dysbiosis

Gut dysbiosis has been associated with:

• Autoimmune conditions

• Inflammatory disorders

• Metabolic dysfunction

• Mood disorders

• Immune imbalance

Your microbiome regulates inflammation, detoxification pathways, hormone balance, and immune signaling. When we repeatedly expose the body to compounds that alter microbial balance, it raises important long-term health questions.

The Bigger Issue: Soil Health

The root issue isn’t just glyphosate. It’s soil degradation.

Regenerative farming focuses on:

• Cover cropping

• Minimal tilling

• Crop diversity

• Integrating livestock naturally

• Building soil carbon

Benefits include:

• Higher nutrient density

• Better water retention

• Carbon sequestration

• Reduced chemical dependency

• Greater resilience

Regenerative farming restores life to the soil — and life to our food.

What Can We Do?

We vote with our dollars. Start with small shifts:

• Prioritize organic oats and wheat.

• Use the Clean Fifteen and Dirty Dozen from the Environmental Working Group to shop strategically.

• Support regenerative farmers when possible.

• Ask questions about soil practices — not just organic labels.

Small consistent choices shift markets.

My Invitation to You

If this topic resonates with you, I’d love to invite you to download an eye-opening audiobook called The Toxin That Came To Dinner. It dives deeper into everything we discussed here.

And if you’re concerned about existing exposure, I also use a clinically studied product (tested in humans) that supports detoxification of glyphosate from the body. My family uses it daily as an added layer of protection in a world where exposure is hard to avoid. If you’d like details on that, here is the link: Biome Medic is Detox Certified!

To purchase this product, click here, and you can use my code DrSmith to save $50 off your first $75+ order.

Awareness is step one. Action is step two. Regeneration is the future.