Pesticides in Wheat: Myths vs. Facts
From bread to cereal, Americans deserve to feel confident about the food they feed their families. That includes understanding how wheat is grown, why farmers use crop protection tools, and what the science says about food safety.
Unfortunately, misleading claims about pesticides in wheat often leave out important context.
Crop protection tools are essential for wheat farmers, helping control weeds, protect crop quality, support conservation practices, and keep wheat affordable and available for families in the U.S. and around the world.
Below, we break down some of the most common myths about pesticides in wheat.
Myth: Wheat farmers routinely spray herbicides on wheat right before harvest.
Fact: Pre-harvest glyphosate use in wheat is not standard practice.
According to Kansas Wheat, experts in wheat production have made clear that spraying glyphosate 7 to 10 days before harvest is not standard procedure for winter wheat farmers. Most herbicide use in wheat happens before planting or shortly after planting, long before the wheat kernel that we consume is even formed.
As The National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) also explains, about 30 to 33% of U.S. wheat acres receive glyphosate applications to clear weeds before planting, while less than 3% may receive applications after the wheat plant is fully grown in limited situations where persistent weeds are a problem.
Farmers do not use crop protection tools haphazardly. Wheat farmers and their families live on the land they farm, work with these tools directly, and often eat the same crops they grow. Food safety is personal to them, because the food they produce also feeds their own families, neighbors, and communities.
Myth: Farmers “drench” wheat in pesticides.
Fact: That claim misrepresents how crop protection tools are used.
When glyphosate is used in wheat production, it is applied carefully and according to strict federal label requirements. This article from NAWG helps put the scale in perspective: the amount of glyphosate used to kill weeds before planting wheat is approximately 0.75 pounds per acre, or roughly two cans of soda spread over a football field (roughly the size of one acre).
That is not “drenching.” It is targeted, regulated use of a tool that helps farmers manage weeds and protect their crops.
Myth: They found glyphosate in the bread and breakfast cereals, our food is unsafe.
Fact: Detection does not equal harm.
Modern testing technology can detect substances at extremely small levels, sometimes in parts per billion. One part per billion is like a single drop of water in a 10,000-gallon swimming pool. Finding a trace amount does not mean a food is unsafe.
Government agencies set conservative limits for pesticide residues, and those limits include large margins of safety. When trace residues are far below allowable limits, that confirms the regulatory system is working as intended.
Myth: Glyphosate is banned in Europe and other countries because it is unsafe.
Fact: Glyphosate remains approved for use in the European Union and nearly every other country around the world.
The European Union reapproved glyphosate in November 2023. The EPA has also reviewed glyphosate repeatedly since it was first registered in 1974 and has concluded that glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans when used according to label directions.
Other regulators, including those in Canada, Australia, Japan, and Korea, have also reviewed glyphosate and reaffirmed that glyphosate-based products can be used safely when directions are followed.
The Facts Are Clear
The conversation around pesticides in wheat should be grounded in science, not fear. Farmers use crop protection tools carefully and as directed to manage weeds, protect crop quality, and keep wheat production reliable.
When misinformation takes hold, it does not just mislead consumers. It undermines trust in farmers and threatens the tools they need to keep food on our tables.