Recently, Donald Trump signed an executive order in the United States protecting the production of glyphosate-based herbicides, including the household-name weedkiller Roundup.
The order treats these chemicals as essential to the food system and gives manufacturers extra legal protection when producing them under government direction, making it harder to hold companies accountable for health or environmental harms linked to their use. This has sparked a huge uproar, given the ongoing concerns and litigation around glyphosate.
This move came despite many years of controversy and scientific debate linking glyphosate exposure to serious health concerns, including certain cancers (non-Hodgkin lymphoma), neurotoxicity, liver disease, and reproductive issues.
The decision was then publicly defended by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who argued that if glyphosate were suddenly banned, the entire food system would collapse:
“Unfortunately, our agricultural system depends heavily on these chemicals. The U.S. represents 4% of the world’s population, yet we use roughly 25% of its pesticides. If these inputs disappeared overnight, crop yields would fall, food prices would surge, and America would experience a massive loss of farms even beyond what we are witnessing today. The consequences would be disastrous.”
That statement might be the most revealing part of this whole story. Because if removing glyphosate is enough to threaten the global food supply, then the problem isn’t just the chemical, it’s the system built around it. And the clearer this becomes, the harder it is to ignore the truth: this food system is broken, and it’s up to us, as consumers, to help rebuild a better one.
When a Food System Runs on Chemical Life Support
Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides on Earth. It’s sprayed on crops, around crops, and in some cases right before harvest, making it deeply embedded in modern industrial farming.
It’s relied on because it:
- Keeps food cheap
- Keeps yields high
- Keeps supermarket shelves full
And on the surface, that sounds like a success story, but when leaders say, “We can’t stop using this or the whole system will fall apart,” what they’re really saying is this:
We’ve built a food system so fragile it can’t function without chemical crutches.
And this isn’t just a US problem - it’s a global one.
Across much of the world, our dominant food model prioritises:
- Scale over soil health
- Speed over ecosystems
-
Short-term yield over long-term resilience
Yes, it produces food. But often at the cost of public health, farmer wellbeing, and the health of the planet. Worse still, it locks us into a vicious cycle where the “solution” to one problem becomes the cause of the next, more chemicals to fix depleted soils, more inputs to prop up exhausted systems.
So if removing glyphosate feels impossible, we need to start from the ground up… so to speak.
The Good News
We Are Not Powerless
Despite the heaviness of this news, food systems can function without heavy chemical dependence. In fact, many already do.
Here are some facts that give us hope:
- Australia has more certified organic farmland than any other country in the world (around 70% of the world’s total organic land!)
- Millions of hectares here are farmed without synthetic herbicides like glyphosate
- Thousands of farmers are proving that food can be grown differently through regenerative farming methods
Turns out, when you focus on soil biology, crop diversity, and working with nature instead of spraying it into submission… things don’t collapse. They regenerate.
How We Mend a Broken Food System
Here are some things you can do to move towards a better food system for all:
1. Support Local Farmers
Especially those using organic, regenerative or low-input practices. Every dollar spent locally strengthens alternatives to chemical-heavy farming.
2. Choose Organic & Spray-Free Where It Matters Most
Prioritising organic and spray-free food can significantly reduce your exposure to synthetic herbicides. A simple place to start is with the Dirty Dozen list - the fruits and vegetables most likely to carry chemical residues - and choosing organic versions of these when you can. You don’t have to change everything at once; even small, intentional swaps can make a meaningful difference over time.
3. Get Curious About Your Food
Ask questions. Read labels. Learn how food is grown. Knowledge is power.
4. Vote With Your Wallet
Food systems don’t change overnight, but they do change when enough people stop buying into the idea that this is the only way.
Where Glyphosate Residues Commonly Show Up In Australia
Glyphosate residues are most often found in these everyday staples:
- Wheat and wheat-based products (bread, pasta, crackers)
- Oats and oat cereals
- Barley
- Lentils, chickpeas and other legumes
- Almonds
- Apples
-
Rice
So… Will the Food System Collapse?
Only if we insist on keeping it exactly as it is.
The real risk isn’t banning glyphosate, it’s clinging to a food system that can’t imagine feeding people without it. One that depends on chemical shortcuts, fragile supply chains, and farmers pushed to the brink just to keep up.
The truth is, this system stays the same because we keep funding it.
Every dollar we spend is a vote for the kind of food system we want. When we support farmers who are already growing food differently - organically, regeneratively, locally - we’re investing in resilience, not dependency.
And those alternatives already exist. They’re working. They’re feeding communities without chemical life support.
Because a resilient food system isn’t propped up by chemicals… It’s grown, sustained, and protected by the people who believe in it.
And as consumers, we have far more power than we’ve been led to believe.
References
The Guardian. (2026, February 19). Trump signs order protecting glyphosate weedkiller production. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/19/trump-order-protect-weedkiller
CNBC. (2026, February 19). RFK Jr. defends Trump’s glyphosate order: ‘Our whole food system would collapse’. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/19/trump-kennedy-glyphosate-maha-midterms-rfk-jr.html
Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Roundup (herbicide). In Wikipedia. Retrieved February 25, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundup_(herbicide)
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). (n.d.). Questions and answers on glyphosate. Retrieved February 25, 2026, from https://www.fda.gov/food/pesticides/questions-and-answers-glyphosate
Organic Without Boundaries. (2024, March 18). How Australian Organic Limited safeguards and promotes the organic sector at home. Retrieved from https://www.organicwithoutboundaries.bio/2024/03/18/how-australian-organic-limited-safeguards-and-promotes-the-organic-sector-at-home/
Detox Project. (n.d.). Glyphosate in food and water. Retrieved February 25, 2026, from https://detoxproject.org/glyphosate-in-food-water/
Environmental Working Group (EWG). (2026, February 23). EWG statement: RFK Jr. doubles down on defence of Trump order boosting glyphosate production, betraying vow to crack down on toxic pesticides. Retrieved from https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/statement/2026/02/ewg-statement-rfk-jr-doubles-down-defense-trump-order-boosting
