Makers of Oreos, Kraft macaroni and Lunchables earn an F grade for pesticide use in their foods
More than a dozen major food manufacturers have been given an F grade for their lack of progress in reducing pesticides, a report has found.
The nonprofit As You Sow rated 17 manufacturers of popular products such as Kraft Mac and Cheese, Green Giant vegetables and Lunchables on their efforts to combat the use of pesticides in their foods.
The report found that all 17 manufacturers, including household names such as General Mills, PepsiCo, Nestle and Kraft Heinz, earned a grade of C or lower for their efforts to reduce pesticide use, and 10 of them received an F.
Pesticides are substances designed to kill pests, such as insects, that might otherwise enter crops. Long-term exposure to some of these has been linked to harmful health problems, including asthma, depression, ADHD and cancer.
Long-term exposure to pesticides has been consistently linked to chronic health problems such as cancer, asthma, anxiety, depression and ADHD
As You Sow’s report assessed each company on 27 elements of risk reduction, including transparency to the public about pesticide use, identifying the highest risk chemicals and requiring raw food suppliers to conduct pesticide risk assessments feed.
The data was collected from a review of publicly available information, including the companies’ published reports, press statements and information on their websites.
The companies were scaled on a score from one to 10 and then assigned a corresponding letter grade.
As You Sow also compared the findings to its previous reports from 2019 and 2021. The average grade was a D in 2021, dropping to an F this year.
On a scale of one to ten, the average company score was 4.5 points.
General Mills, owner of brands such as Annie’s, Cheerios and Green Giant, took first place with a C rating.
General Mills had the second-highest score in the “Pesticide Risk Reduction Strategy” section, indicating its efforts to reduce the use of pesticides in its foods.
GM has published targets to reduce the use of pesticides in its supply chains and improve transparency.
The company was followed by Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), which produces ingredients such as sweeteners and syrups.
Ten companies received an F, and JM Smucker Company, which makes Folgers coffee, Jif peanut butter and Smucker’s jam, came in last.
The company scored no points in any category, including pesticide risk reduction, transparency and monitoring of pesticides of very high concern.
None of the 10 companies that received an F prioritized the health and safety of farmworkers who use the chemicals, the report said.
Long-term exposure to pesticides has been consistently linked to chronic health problems such as cancer, asthma, anxiety, depression and ADHD.
Children and unborn babies are especially sensitive to the harmful effects of pesticides.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, exposure to pesticides during pregnancy can lead to an increased risk of birth defects, low birth weight and fetal death.
“Childhood exposure has been linked to attention and learning problems, as well as cancer,” the academy said.
Last year, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, found that fetuses exposed to four types of pesticides were more likely to develop the eye cancer retinoblastoma.
Additionally, a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded study found that men, especially male farmers, who were exposed to the herbicide glyphosate had higher biomarkers of oxidative stress in their urine.
Oxidative stress damages DNA and is considered an important characteristic of carcinogens, substances that can cause cancer.