What’s all the hype surrounding this thing called Glyphosate?

This is just a summary of the fight against glyphosate.

Let’s start off by explaining what glyphosate is. Glyphosate is the world’s most widely used herbicide which is a chemical that kills plants by blocking a protein that is needed for growth. It is the active ingredient in the popular weedkiller Roundup and other commercial weed killers. It is also a crop dessicant, which means it is applied to a crop just before harvest to kill the leaves so it dries quicker thus making harvest more efficient particularly for grain crops like wheat, oats, or barley. Here’s a little history on glyphosate. Glyphosate entered the market in the 1970’s. Its’use exploded in the 1990’s after GMO crops were introduced in the food supply. Farmers could spray their entire fields and everything would die except the GMO crops which were corn and soy. Since then, glyphosate use in the US has increased nearly ten times by 2014, and millions of pounds of glyphosate is applied to crops each year. And guess what else….it has landed right in the products that we eat on a daily basis, think anything that contains GMO corn and soy which includes ultra-processed foods such as cereals, breads, chips, crackers, dressings, some meats (anything that eats sprayed crops), etc.

So, what does this mean for you and your health? Unfortunately, if you are eating these foods daily you are at risk of developing a whole host of health conditions including cancer, liver disease and infertility. Recent studies, including the Global Glyphosate Study 2025, have linked low doses glyphosate-based herbicides causing multiple types of cancer such as leukemia and liver tumors in rats. Studies also suggest an association between glyphosate exposure and memory issues, brain damage and higher levels of autism. Research from UC Berkeley correlated that childhood exposure is linked to liver inflammation and metabolic disorders into adulthood.

Let’s also go down the rabbit hole of recent lawsuits with Bayer and Monsanto. I will give you some resources at the end so you can do some more research on your own. Roundup was originally developed by Monsanto (think GMO crops) and was acquired by Bayer in 2018. There have been over 200,000 lawsuits against Bayer alleging that Roundup causes non-Hodgkins’s lymphoma. They have paid billions of dollars in settlement to resolve these claims, but they still allege their product is safe and does not cause cancer, citing EPA findings. Now let’s take a look at their other product…they create pharmaceuticals that fight cancer? Again, a huge rabbit hole you could go down.

So why are we hearing about this all over the news? Here are some of the latest developments in the fight against glyphosate due to recent court cases.

As of early 2026, Bayer faces nearly 200,000 U.S. legal claims regarding Roundup (glyphosate), with a pending Supreme Court case and a proposed $7.25 billion settlement to address cancer allegations. While studies link glyphosate to increased non-Hodgkin lymphoma and other cancers, the EPA holds that it is not likely carcinogenic, prompting intense debate.

• Supreme Court Review: The U.S. Supreme Court is set to review a case concerning whether federal law shields Bayer from liability regarding warning labels on glyphosate products, potentially blocking future state-level lawsuits.

• Trump Executive Order: An executive order was signed to promote domestic production of glyphosate, classifying it as a matter of national security, which drew criticism from lawmakers promoting the "No Immunity for Glyphosate Act".

• State-Level Action: States like North Dakota, Georgia, and Kentucky have passed laws protecting pesticide manufacturers from lawsuits claiming a failure to warn of cancer risks.

• Scientific Debate: New studies continue to show potential links between glyphosate and cancer, as well as neurotoxicity at lower doses, contradicting some regulatory findings. However, Bayer maintains that studies confirm its safety and accuses research groups like the Ramazzini Institute of making misleading claims.

• Market Changes: While still widely used in agriculture, glyphosate has been removed from new versions of Roundup sold in the residential market.

• ·Other Points: Illinois and Iowa are the top users of glyphosate in the US, with both states utilizing over 10 million kilograms annually.

  • Bayer has already paid over $10 billion to resolve previous cases.

  • The EPA is under court order to reconsider its human health risk assessments after a 2022 ruling found flaws in its previous safety evaluations. 

To find out more about the fight against Glyphosate follow:

@Glyphosategirl on Instagram

@FoodBabe on Instagram