Weedkiller in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream
ICE cream sold in Britain under the Ben & Jerry’s brand contains traces of the weedkiller glyphosate, tests have revealed.
The chemical is best known under the brand name Roundup and is widely used on food crops, particularly in GM farming.
Twelve out of 14 samples bought across Europe by the campaigning group Beyond GM, which is critical of GM farming, tested positive for glyphosate. Three flavours were bought in the UK – Peanut Butter, Chocolate Fudge Brownie and Half Baked Cookie Dough and Chocolate.
Contamination is thought to have come from ingredients such as the wheat in cookie dough. The pesticide is sprayed on crops such as wheat and corn as a drying agent.
Most of the milk used for the ice cream also comes from animals fed on GM soya, which is normally sprayed with glyphosate.
Levels were well below those set by food safety authorities but some studies have linked the chemical to cancer and liver disease.
Manufacturer Unilever said it was phasing out the use of any crops produced with glyphosate as a drying agent and added: ‘The bottom line is our products are safe to eat.’