Flax4Life’s Response to Social Media Glyphosate Claims

Flax4Life's Response to Social Media Claims of Glyphosate: 

As a company, we are committed to addressing the most recent accusations of a social media post about the glyphosate levels of our products. Our primary focus is to produce a product that is better for you, and we prioritize the safety of our product to ensure that our consumers can trust in our commitment to their well-being. 

Guide for conversions used in this statement:
1 ppm= 1 mg/kg
1 ppb= 1ng/g
1 ppm= 1000 ppb

Facts:

1. Unless a product is Glyphosate Residue Free Certified, it likely contains a trace amount of glyphosate. Due to the widespread use of glyphosate in the worldwide food system, humans are exposed daily to it. 
1. Here is a report referencing exposure:
1. Gillezeau C, van Gerwen M, Shaffer RM, Rana I, Zhang L, Sheppard L, Taioli E. The evidence of human exposure to glyphosate: a review. Environ Health. 2019 Jan 7;18(1):2. doi: 10.1186/s12940-018-0435-5. PMID: 30612564; PMCID: PMC632231
2. EPA has established tolerances for glyphosate on a wide range of human and animal food crops, including corn, soybean, oil seeds, grains, and some fruits and vegetables, ranging from 0.1 to 400 parts per million ppm, equivalent to 100 to 40000 ppb.
3. The EU has an MRL (maximum residue limit) for glyphosate of 0.1 mg/kg for fresh foods and 20 mg/kg for other crops, equivalent to 100 to 20000 ppb.
4. EPA information on Glyphosate.
5. EPA scientists performed an independent evaluation of available data for glyphosate and found:
1. No risks of concern to human health from current uses of glyphosate. 
2. No indication that children are more sensitive to glyphosate
3. No evidence that glyphosate causes cancer in humans. 
4. No indication that glyphosate is an endocrine disruptor. 

Addressing Website/Social Media claim:

The website claims that the products' test results were 120.12 ppb, equivalent to .12012 ppm, which is still within the recommended limits of the EPA and EU standards. 

Our independent Test Results: 

Glyphosate-whole product- 9.7 ppb equivalent to .0097 ppm per serving (*See Image results). These results are well below the EPA and EU standards and a fraction of what the website claimed.

We are not the only company on this list that has conducted independent testing and concluded a drastically lower level than the website claimed.

Issues Noted with the articles:

1. No actual lab tests were provided—only a Google sheet chart. 
2. There is no information on where the product was tested. Despite several attempts to obtain this information, we have yet to receive a response.
3. No lot numbers were provided for the testing results, so we were unable to test the exact lot number to make a direct comparison. However, we did test the most current product in-house.  

Our response as a company:

At Flax4Life, we take every accusation or concern about our product seriously and want to ensure its safety. We believe that the group making these claims are using incorrect facts and testing to spread false information to influence consumers. We are committed to transparency and want to provide our customers with the facts and our response. We take this claim seriously and aim to improve our procedures and safety at our Bakery.

As a company, we are taking proactive steps by testing all individual ingredients, identifying those with trace amounts of glyphosate, and collaborating with our suppliers to replace them. We plan to conduct additional testing for new ingredients and finished products throughout the year to ensure compliance with regulations, demonstrating our commitment to continuous improvement and consumer safety.

Please reach out if you have any further questions or concerns. 

Comments provided by:

Kasondra Shippen 
CEO 
Flax4Life
Bellingham, WA 98226
 

Reference: Test Results 9.9.24: