Is There Glyphosate in Food?

Residues turn up in some crops. In FDA testing in fiscal years 2016 and 2017, about 59 percent of corn and soybean samples had residues of glyphosate or glufosinate, all below the tolerance levels set by the EPA, no residues were found in milk or eggs, and there were no glyphosate violations in any of the four foods tested.

Agencies disagree about cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as probably carcinogenic to humans in March 2015, based on limited evidence in humans and sufficient evidence in experimental animals. The EPA concluded in its 2017 assessment that glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans. In June 2022 a federal appeals court vacated the human health part of the EPA’s interim decision, and the EPA later withdrew that decision, while saying the withdrawal does not by itself mean its cancer finding is incorrect.

In court, John Durnell alleged that Roundup caused his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and a Missouri jury awarded him more than $1 million on a claim that Monsanto should have included a cancer warning. On June 25, 2026 the US Supreme Court held that federal pesticide law preempts that claim, because it would require a cancer warning on Roundup’s label beyond what the EPA requires, and reversed and sent the case back to the Missouri courts.

Sources checked September 15, 2026. Every point below links the page it came from.

The sources behind this answer

  • Government sourceIARC classified glyphosate as probably carcinogenic to humans (Group 2A) in March 2015, based on limited evidence of cancer in humans and sufficient evidence in experimental animals. IARC, World Health Organization ↗
  • Government sourceThe EPA says its 2017 assessment concluded glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans, a different conclusion from IARC’s. US EPA ↗
  • Legal caseThe EPA says the Ninth Circuit vacated the human health portion of its glyphosate interim decision in June 2022, that it withdrew the decision that September, and that the withdrawal does not automatically mean its cancer finding is incorrect. US EPA ↗
  • Independent testFDA testing in fiscal 2016 and 2017 found no glyphosate violations in corn, soybeans, milk or eggs, with about 59 percent of corn and soy samples showing residues of glyphosate or glufosinate below EPA tolerances. US FDA ↗
  • Legal caseAccording to the Supreme Court, John Durnell sued Monsanto in 2019 alleging Roundup caused his non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and a jury awarded him more than $1 million on a failure-to-warn claim. Supreme Court of the United States ↗
  • Legal caseOn June 25, 2026 the Supreme Court held that federal pesticide law preempts Durnell’s failure-to-warn claim, and reversed and remanded the Missouri Court of Appeals judgment. Supreme Court of the United States ↗

Sources checked September 15, 2026. A brand statement is the company’s own claim, which we report but have not verified. Our grades are model-based estimates, not lab tests.

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