Moms Across America Report of Glyphosate in Northern California Wines Called Into Question

SAN FRANCISCO - April 8, 2016 - PRLog -- On March 24^th,  Moms Across America posted labratory results, commissioned by an unidentified supporter of the site, claiming that 10 northern California wines, including organic and biodynamic wines, all tested positive for glyphosate.

Mary Baker, a freelance writer with over 20 years of experience in the California wine industry, doubts the findings.  "I think MAA means well," said Baker, "but without some transparency, there is no way to corroborate the results."

Baker points out that neither the wines nor the person who ordered the tests were identified. The laboratory who performed the testing, Microbe Inotech, also said that their glyphosate testing method has "not been validated for extractions from wines."

The MAA story has been republished by numerous bloggers and news aggregators, leading to what Baker calls "a lack of journalistic integrity."

"People who want eyeballs on their website are republishing unverified information because it buys into the glyphosate hysteria," she said, "and they're not paying any attention to how this affects all small food producers-whether they're growing food or winegrapes."

Moms Across America (http://www.momsacrossamerica.com) is an organization devoted to inspiring moms to feed their families healthy, pesticide-free and GMO-free food.

Although MAA claims all the wines are from northern California, specifically naming Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino, a recent video produced by RT America features Firestone Winery, which is in Santa Barbara.

"A piece like this," says Baker, "makes people fearful that all wines contain glyphosate, and I just don't believe that's true." On her blog (http://www.solid-communications.com/2016/04/08/report-of-...), Baker explains why she doubts the claim, citing glyphosate's rapid adsorption rate and the use of heavy surfactants.

"I can't disprove it," she said, "but unless Moms Across America is willing to be transparent, there's no way to duplicate the tests and get to the truth."

Baker, who is about to publish a book about GMO's, says that she frequently encounters hysteria and hyperbole on sites that are anti-GMO. "Many of these people mean well," she said,"but frequently the information I encounter has no basis in common sense or even a familiarity with high school botany."

As an example, Baker points to a misconception that pollen drift from GMO cornfields may infect neighboring organic farms that do not grow corn. "That's pure fantasy," she says. "Cornstalks do not impregnate lettuce or beets. If that were so, we'd have been seeing lettuce with blond silky hair, and beets with little corn-shaped kernels hundreds of years ago."

"There are plenty of things to be concerned about when it comes to GMO's and the overuse of pesticides. But let's be smart about it; let's pick our battles and be armed with facts and working knowledge," says Baker.

"You can't fight a battle with a dull sword."