The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Friday it will look into some 20 imported drinks for glyphosate residue.

The US Public Interest Research Group Education Fund revealed in a report in February that glyphosate had been found in 19 out of 20 brands of 15 popular beers and five wines tested there. Glyphosate is an active chemical ingredient found in Roundup, the herbicide produced by Monsanto. Under the classification from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, glyphosate is classified under 2A, indicating it is “probably carcinogenic” to humans if consumed.

 

Popular beers imported to Korea such as Tsingtao, Corona, Budweiser and Guinness, among many others, were among the brands tested to contain traces of glyphosate.

The US Environmental Protection Agency commented that the amount found in the drinks does not pose a health concern. Korea’s Rural Development Administration also indicated that a maximum 56 parts per million can be consumed daily for a person weighing 70 kilograms, with a 500-millileter beer containing an average less than 0.025 ppm of glyphosate. Regardless, the news still sparked fears among regular drinkers on possible long-term effects.

The Korean ministry said it decided to launch a probe of some 20 different imported beers, including brands mentioned in the PIRG report, for the substance. The results could be revealed as soon as next week.

By Cho Hyee-su (chohyeesu@heraldcorp.com)