Glyphosate Is Found in Organic Bread. Here’s What Experts Say About the Risk

A recent report from the Healthy Florida First initiative indicated that glyphosate—a widely used herbicide—was detected in several popular breads, including Dave’s Killer Bread, which is marketed as organic.

Consumers have been taking to social media to express their concerns about the “high” levels of the pesticide that were found, but experts say the issue is more nuanced.

What Is Glyphosate?

Glyphosate is commonly used to control weeds on crops such as wheat, corn, soybeans, and oats. 

“The key issue is not simply whether glyphosate is used, but the level of residue that remains in food and whether that level poses a meaningful risk to human health,” said Don Thushara Galbadage, PhD, MPH, an associate professor of applied health sciences at Texas Christian University.

While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that glyphosate is safe when used according to label directions, that standpoint is far from unanimous. The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified it as a “probably” carcinogenic, and some studies suggest exposure can be harmful to nervous system health, liver health, and more.

At the end of 2025, the journal Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology retracted a 25-year-old paper that concluded glyphosate is safe for humans.

How Much Glyphosate Is Too Much?

The report found that one serving of Dave’s Killer Bread contained 10.38 parts per billion (ppb) of glyphosate. This isn’t actually considered a high level, especially compared to some foods, such as oats and non-organic wheat, according to Paul Mills, PhD, a glyphosate researcher and professor of family medicine and public health at the University of San Diego.

Glyphosate levels are often measured in parts per million (ppm). By this standard, a serving of Dave’s Killer Bread contains 0.01038 ppm, well below the EPA’s maximum residue limit for glyphosate in wheat products.

Still, all exposure to glyphosate is cumulative.

“Any amount is cumulative over time,” Mills said. ” The question is, ‘What’s the threshold for this person or that person as far as when you start having adverse effects?'”

How to Avoid Glyphosate as Much as Possible

The best way to avoid glyphosate exposure is to eat organic, Mills said. But it’s clear, as shown with Dave’s Killer Bread, that even that isn’t a guarantee. It’s hard to get truly organic wheat because use of pesticides is such a common phenomenon, Mills said, and it’s often also in the water that’s being used to water crops.

“It’s just hard to avoid and it’s hard for companies to get pure, clean, good product right now,” he said, adding that some food producers have lobbied the EPA to stop letting farmers use glyphosate. “The EPA has resisted, I’m assuming because of its close ties with industry.”

Eating a varied diet can also help reduce the likelihood of repeated high exposure to any single pesticide residue, Galbadage noted.

There may also be more efficient solutions on the horizon. Researchers are developing supplements that would inhibit the body’s absorption of glyphosate and other forever chemicals by binding them in the supplement as they pass through the GI system. Others are working on tests that let you test your food and instantly see if it contains glyphosate and similar chemicals.

But none of these products are available just yet.

“We’re all breathing the same air, and there’s a fair amount in the air and in our water supply,” Mills said. “We can’t avoid it all, we just have to do our best.”