CONSUMERS have dismissed a Standard Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ) report clearing certain grain products of having the herbicide glyphosate, as the process did not include them.
Recently, grain millers came under fire for allegedly selling contaminated products after it was alleged that they contained a high concentration of glyphosate.
The Grain Millers Association of Zimbabwe (GMAZ) then hired the SAZ to conduct testing on some of the grain products, which found that in the six analysed mealie meal samples, the levels of glyphosate were below 0,5 parts per million.
This, according to SAZ, is the limit of detection for the method of testing, whose findings were released in a joint Press conference between GMAZ and standards body in Harare.
Glyphosate is a herbicide, applied to the leaves of plants to kill both broadleaf plants and grasses, thus any excessive amounts contained in food could become cancerous.
However, human rights defender Abigale Mupambi raised concern that the findings by SAZ did not include the consumers themselves.
“Going forward, I think the issue that has been coming about is to say they did it probably without the biggest constituents, which are the consumers.
“That’s my point of departure to say. At this juncture, we would have expected the Consumer Council, consumers to be on board so that this issue is resolved once and for all in terms of consensus,” she said.
“But basically, the fact that the consumers are aggrieved, consumers are panicking, consumers are involved. I think since they have made out a call to say we are ready, the consumers and the individuals, definitely the Zimbabweans, would be interested to see how we zero in on this issue and draw a conclusion, a reasonable appreciation of each other between suppliers and consumers.”
Consumers expressed outrage and scepticism over the SAZ findings insisting that even trace amounts of glyphosate in mealie-meal pose a significant cancer risk.
Despite the association’s assurances that the levels of glyphosate are within safe limits, many consumers are outraged and disappointed, feeling that any amount of the chemical is unacceptable.
“We cannot trust the food we eat anymore. Glyphosate is a known carcinogen, and the fact that it’s present in our mealie meal is alarming. Cancer is cancer, and any amount of glyphosate is too much for our families,” Kudzai Chasi, a concerned consumer, said.
Health-conscious consumer Aron Chitumba accused SAZ of downplaying the risks.
“We want our food to be glyphosate-free, not just within some arbitrary ‘safe’ limit, also calling for transparency and accountability, questioning why SAZ’s standards align with industry guidelines rather than prioritising consumer safety,” he said.
However, SAZ technical services director Danmore Mabambe argued that since glyphosate was a pesticide and herbicide, trace amount of it would be found in the product.
“It is used to treat weeds during the pre-planting process. So yes, you can expect to find traces because they use it as a herbicide. But it now comes down to what levels of the traces are there in the final product,” he said.
“If one wants us to redo them (tests) in your presence, we felt that legally we were not compelled to do this. But, from a peer-acquainted perspective, we need to run some. But, if there are people who want to say, this is random, we can start this afternoon. We’ll pay for that.”