How the Grain Chain Keeps Glyphosate in Dinosaur Eggs
Problem: A likely carcinogen is present in many grain-based foods.
Solution: Investment in dedicated, non-conventional, grain elevators will reduce friction for farmers bringing non-conventional grains to market.
I was asked my thoughts on the article Breakfast With a Dose of Roundup?, a report recently published by the Environmental Working Group. The report tested popular breakfast brands for glyphosate, a probable carcinogen and the active ingredient in Monsanto’s popular herbicide Roundup. Glyphosate was detected in 43 of 45 products that used conventional grain and only 5 of 16 products that used organic grain. Astoundingly, Dinosaur Eggs, a breakfast favorite of kids worldwide, topped the list containing the second-highest level of glyphosate. Released 20 years ago, Dinosaur Eggs have evolved to hatch herbicides too.
Grains are unique within the food supply, allowing chemicals to more easily end up in grain-based foods. Other farm crops — fruits, vegetables, nuts — are sorted and packaged on farm as part of the distribution process. They are loaded onto pallets that can be traced from the farmer, through the wholesaler, to the retailer, and the end consumer. For grains, however, there are three issues:
- Grains account for an estimated 60% of the world’s calories. Grain production exists on a scale much larger than other crops and requires extremely efficient, large scale, distribution. (For an explanation on why grains are so important — check out this article.)
- Grains have the ability to flow (like water). Unlike fruits and vegetables that have to be packaged on-farm then transported on pallets, grains can be moved through pipes via augur and transported in bulk containers, like rail cars. Moving grains by flow is significantly more efficient and isn’t possible with non-grains.
- Grains are non-perishable. Fruits and vegetables require expensive refrigeration and have a shelf life of days or weeks. Grains, however, are non-perishable — they can be stored for months at room temperature for minimal cost. This allows for flexible logistics that take months to deliver grains from the farm to the consumer.
When combined, these three issues create a blending effect that precludes clear traceability from farm to consumer.
Grain elevators or “elevators” serve as brokers between buyers (Kellogg’s, Quaker, AB-InBev) and sellers (farmers). Like other industries with many producers and many consumers, producers don’t sell direct, but sell through a broker or distributor. Distribution channels for most goods maintain traceability to ensure the producer gets their specific product to the end consumer without compromising quality or identity. However, due to blending, grain distribution does not allow for specific product tracing.
While bagging grain on-farm and shipping by traceable pallets is possible, it is cost prohibitive, making this technique viable only in premium markets. Grain chain infrastructure is instead built around the efficiencies of moving grain by flow, which keeps global grain production manageable (>2.5 trillion tonnes this year). Effectively, all commercial grain products pass through an elevator and get blended.
During harvest season, all grains of the same type are blended together in the same grain bins. This blending erases all identity from a specific farm or method of farming. For example:
Three types of soft red winter wheat are harvested and brought to the elevator. One was raised organic, one was raised without herbicide, and one was raised conventionally. The grain elevator accepts them all as the same type, blends them together, and sells them as conventional wheat.
Selling everything at the lowest conventional rate removes the incentive for higher quality grain production. Non-conventional production methods are more expensive and riskier — the farmer needs to cover this higher cost by selling their product at a premium price. Conventional elevators don’t pay a premium price for premium product because of blending.
There are few non-conventional grain elevators and many farmers are not located near one. Farmers without an elevator have to set up a direct contract with a buyer. This contracting is difficult and costly for the farmer as they have to provide additional transport to the buyer. And it’s difficult for the buyer as they have to work with multiple farmers to buy enough grain. The infrastructure built up for conventional grains provides such economies of scale that growing and selling non-conventional grains is prohibitively expensive for both farmers and buyers.
Commercial grain-based foods that are chemical-free require grains that are raised non-conventionally. Getting these grains transported to food makers requires grain elevators dedicated to accepting, storing, and distributing through non-conventional grain chains. Farmers without a dedicated grain elevator don’t have the option to grow non-conventional grains.
One solution is to invest in non-conventional grain elevators. This article from Non-GMO Report shows how an organic grain mill removed a strategic bottleneck in the regional grain chain, increasing both the supply of organic grains and demand for organic grain products. A few weeks ago, Pipeline Foods acquired an Iowa grain grain elevator from ADM to convert it from conventional to the organic supply chain.
“This acquisition is a key component in Pipeline Foods’ mission to increase organic supply chain efficiency and transparency,” said Eric Jackson, chief executive of Pipeline Foods.
Investment in non-conventional grain elevators creates a market for farmers to grow organic grains and reduces the overall cost of the organic grain chain. To produce cheaper organic foods, Quaker (PepsiCo) should invest more in non-conventional grain elevators.
While reading Breakfast with a Dose of RoundUp?, I wanted to be mad at Monsanto for causing this. And I wanted to be mad at the farmers for spraying herbicide. But without a market for non-conventional grains, there is no incentive for farmers to bear the extra risk and cost of growing organic or herbicide-free grains.
Growing food free from probable carcinogens requires building a grain chain dedicated to non-conventional grains. A grain chain that includes farmers, end buyers, and the elevators that act in the middle. We need more elevators that accept only high quality non-conventional grains (single origin wheat berries, anyone?). Until then, expect the grain chain to keep glyphosate in Dinosaur Eggs.


