Weed Killer Chemical Found in Beer and Wine, Report Says

That after-work drink might not be quite as smooth as you think.

A new report says non-dangerous levels of glyphosate, a weed killing chemical commonly found in Monsanto’s Roundup, have been found in five wines and 14 popular beers.

The list, assembled by the public-interest advocacy group U.S. PIRG, includes several well-known brands, including Budweiser, Miller Lite, Coors Light, Guinness, Sutter Home, Beringer, New Belgium, and Samuel Adams.

U.S. PIRG notes that all of the results it found in the beers and wines tested were far below the EPA’s risk tolerances, but it said consumers should still be aware of what they’re putting into their bodies.

“No matter the efforts of brewers and vintners, we found that it is incredibly difficult to avoid the troubling reality that consumers will likely drink glyphosate at every happy hour and backyard barbeque around the country,” said U.S Kara Cook-Schultz, who authored the study.

The results weren’t limited to conventional brands either. Four of five organic brands that were tested came back to glyphosate levels. Levels of the weed killer U.S. PIRG found in the beer and wine varied widely by brand.

Wines

Sutter Home Merlot – 51.4 parts per billion

Beringer Estates Moscato – 42.6 parts per billion

Barefoot Cabernet Sauvignon – 36.3 parts per billion

Inkarri Estates Malbec: Certified Organic – 5.3 parts per billion

Frey Organic Natural Wine Blend – 4.8 parts per billion

Beers

Tsingtao – 49.7 parts per billion

Coors Light- 31.1 parts per billion

Miller Lite – 29.8 parts per billion

Budweiser – 27.0 parts per billion

Corona Extra – 25.1 parts per billion

Heineken – 20.9 parts per billion

Guinness Draught – 20.3 parts per billion

Stella Artois – 18.7 parts per billion

Ace Perry Hard Cider – 14.5 parts per billion

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale – 11.8 parts per billion

New Belgium Fat Tire – 11.2 parts per billion

Samuel Adams New England IPA – 11.0 parts per billion

Stella Artois Cidre – 9.1 parts per billion

Samuel Smith’s Organic Lager – 5.7 parts per billion

Peak Beer Organic IPA – 0 parts per billion

Many companies cited in the study questioned the accuracy of the report. And trade groups for both the beer and wine industries said even if the numbers were correct, the levels were still well below those that are considered remotely hazardous.

“An adult would have to drink more than 140 glasses of wine a day containing the highest glyphosate level measured just to reach the level that California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has identified as ‘No Significant Risk Level,’” a spokesperson for the Wine Institute told USA TODAY.

The weed killer has shown up in several other food products both in the U.S. and Canada in the past year, including Cheerios and Quaker Oats.