Glyphosate Isn’t Your Villain (But Something Else Might Be)

Photo by Mark Stebnicki

When it comes to scary food headlines, glyphosate is the star of the show. It’s been blamed for everything from cancer to celiac disease to autism. Some folks swear it’s the hidden hand behind America’s health crisis.

But let’s take a breath.

Glyphosate isn’t the monster hiding under your bed. It’s a tool farmers use, and there are bigger, uglier villains sneaking into our everyday lives.

Why Do Farmers Use Glyphosate?

Glyphosate is a weed killer. A powerful one. It works by blocking a pathway plants need to grow (fun fact: people and animals don’t even have that pathway). Farmers love it because it:

• Kills weeds efficiently across massive fields.

• Helps protect yields—more corn, soybeans, wheat on the table.

• Supports no-till farming, which means less soil erosion and healthier ground for future crops.

• Keeps food affordable by lowering labor and fuel costs.

  
  

In short, glyphosate is popular not because farmers are evil masterminds, but because it helps them grow more food, more efficiently. And whether we like it or not, feeding millions of people is a big deal.

Why Glyphosate Became the Boogeyman.

Glyphosate was discovered in the 1970's and went mainstream in the 1990s with the rise of GMO “Roundup Ready” crops. Farmers could spray their fields, kill the weeds, and leave their soybeans or corn standing tall. The public saw this and thought: “Wait… you’re spraying chemicals on my food?”

Then came the headlines. The World Health Organization’s cancer research arm (IARC) labeled glyphosate “probably carcinogenic.” Suddenly it was everywhere—news reports, court cases, Facebook feeds. What didn’t make as many headlines? Regulatory agencies like the EPA and EFSA reviewed much larger data sets and concluded glyphosate isn’t likely to cause cancer at real-world exposure levels.

So why does glyphosate still get blamed for everything? Because it’s easier to point a finger at a single chemical than face the messy reality of what’s actually hurting our health.

What Are The Real Villains in Our Food and Lifestyle?

Let’s be honest: glyphosate isn’t the reason America is battling record levels of obesity, diabetes, depression, and chronic disease. The bigger culprits are hiding in plain sight.

• Ultra-Processed Foods: Over half our daily calories come from foods engineered in factories—loaded with sugar, fat, and additives. Studies link them to higher risks of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and even depression.

• Screen Time and Sedentary Living: Only 1 in 4 adults meet basic activity guidelines. Teens average 7+ hours a day on screens. Less movement, worse sleep, weaker mental health.

• Chronic Sleep Loss: More than one-third of adults sleep less than 7 hours a night. That’s directly tied to higher risks of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

• Food Additives We Actually Ingest (a lot of): Preservatives in processed meats, artificial dyes in kids’ snacks, mountains of added sugar in drinks—these are proven risk factors. Yet we’re more terrified of trace glyphosate than of the bright blue sports drink in our fridge.

• Medication Overuse: Antidepressants, hormonal birth control, painkillers—lifesaving tools for many, but so widely used that they’re shaping population health in ways we don’t even talk about.

  
  

In other words: we’re blaming the wrong thing. The danger isn’t trace herbicide on your apple skin—it’s what we eat, how we live, and what we ignore.

How Do We Foster Stewardship Over Panic?

I believe God gave us what we need to thrive: real food, bodies designed to move, rhythms of rest, and community to keep us grounded. Fear isn’t a health plan. Stewardship is.

That means:

• Focusing on whole foods instead of obsessing over trace residues.

• Getting more sleep and more movement instead of binge-scrolling.

• Paying attention to the additives we consume daily, not just the ones we read about in headlines.

  
  

Want the Receipts?

This blog is just the appetizer. In my Culture Consumed podcast episode on Wednesday, I dig into:

• The actual science on glyphosate (what studies really say).

• Why residues in meat and milk aren’t what you think.

• The receipts on processed foods, additives, and lifestyle factors driving chronic disease.

• How faith and stewardship give us a healthier lens for living well.

  
  

Because the real villains? They’re not hiding in a sprayer on some Midwestern farm field. They’re right in front of us—on our plates, in our routines, and in our choices.

About the author:

Jenna is a researcher, ag communicator, and current Ph.D. student who’s passionate about cutting through the noise surrounding food and farming. With years of experience studying consumer behavior and advocating for farmers and ranchers, she’s here to help you rethink what you thought you knew about your food—one myth at a time.