Is Banza Chickpea Pasta Putting Your Health at Risk?...

Photo Illustration by Tara Anand for Verywell Health; Getty Images

Fact checked by Nick BlackmerFact checked by Nick Blackmer
Key TakeawaysA report from a group called Moms Across America claimed to find harmful levels of the herbicide glyphosate in Banza chickpea pasta.But the independent lab results are being taken out of context, and there is no evidence to suggest the product is unsafe, nutrition experts said.Nutrition experts said they still recommend chickpea products—which are often staples for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance—as nutritional and affordable parts of a balanced diet.
The safety of Banza chickpea pasta has been called into question recently due to claims that the product has dangerous levels of an herbicide called glyphosate.A nonprofit organization called Moms Across America released a report saying that the product had “the highest amount [of glyphosate] in food the lab has recorded.”But experts said you don’t necessarily need to stop eating Banza chickpea pasta—or other chickpea products—and that the results of the new report have been taken out of context. “The level [of glyphosate] recently reported to be found in chickpea pasta is well below this safe threshold” set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Leah Barron, RD, LD, CPT, a dietitian at The Baseline Lifestyle Co., told Verywell.Glyphosate has been used globally since the 1970s. While regulatory authorities should monitor how much of any herbicide people are exposed to, Barron said there’s no reason to panic about glyphosate, specifically right now.Some medical literature has speculated about the toxic effects of glyphosate, but these reports often lack nuance. “To date, we do not have any evidence to show that glyphosate is toxic to humans in the dose that we are exposed to on average,” Barron said. “Studies that have shown toxic effects—these are the ones that usually get used to scare people—are typically conducted in animals and use levels of glyphosate that a human would never realistically be exposed to.”Don’t Take the New “Lab Results” At Face ValueThe new report was independently released by a nonprofit organization, Moms Across America. The results were not published in a peer-reviewed journal, and experts emphasized that it’s impossible to draw conclusions about lab results without knowing what kind(s) of testing occurred.The new report stated that Banza chickpea pasta had the highest level of glyphosate found in multiple gluten-free products the group allegedly tested. According to the report, the level of glyphosate found was 2,876.24 parts per billion (ppb).This is lower than the EPA's safety threshold, Barron said. “In the context of glyphosate in chickpea pasta, the EPA specifically states that chickpeas have a threshold of 5,000 ppb,” she explained.Glyphosate is sometimes found in chickpea products because of the way chickpeas are harvested, Alexis Temkin, PhD, senior toxicologist at the Environmental Working Group (EWG), told Verywell. “The reason chickpeas have been one of these types of foods that have higher levels of glyphosate is [the herbicide] is applied really close to when they are consumed,” Temkin said.Though any substance in excess can be dangerous, there’s no reason to believe that someone could or would consume enough glyphosate through their diet to do harm.Using the reference dose set by the European Food Safety Authority, a person weighing 65 kilograms (approximately 143 pounds) would have to consume 20 pounds of Banza pasta per day to reach the amount of glyphosate that is still considered safe for consumption, Barron explained. "This is a perfect example of the phrase ‘the dose makes the poison,’ and in this case, the dose that could even potentially cause a problem could never actually be consumed by a human."Leah Barron, RD, LD, CPT
It’s worth noting that agricultural workers who are exposed to glyphosate in occupational settings may be at an increased risk for some health issues—but these risks are not linked to consuming Banza chickpea pasta. “Inhaled glyphosate is categorized as very low toxicity, so it is also unlikely to cause any kind of adverse effect in the body,” Barron said. Still, “for workers who are exposed to inhaled glyphosate over long periods of time, there may be some risk for respiratory issues.”In the context of consuming glyphosate through diet, it’s important to know that it doesn’t stay in the body very long: “Glyphosate is excreted fairly quickly, usually within 24 hours,” Barron added.What to Know When Shopping for Chickpea ProductsThe Moms Across America report should not deter you from eating Banza chickpea pasta or other chickpea products, Barron explained. “There is nothing to be concerned about when it comes to these products,” she said. “They are safe, nutritious, and perfectly fine to be a part of your well-balanced diet.”These products can be especially beneficial to people with celiac disease or a gluten intolerance, as well as those who don’t eat animal products. “I would not hesitate to recommend chickpea pasta to my clients,” Barron said.
What This Means For YouA report from a nonprofit organization called Moms Across America claimed to find high levels of glyphosate in Banza chickpea pasta. The herbicide is sometimes found in chickpea products because it is used around the time chickpeas are harvested. But the results of the new report have been taken out of context, and there’s no reason to assume the product is unsafe, experts said.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.

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