Nestlé SA begins increased monitoring of its coffee imports this week after recent tests revealed higher levels of the weed-killing chemical glyphosate.
Some suppliers in Indonesia and Brazil were told the closer scrutiny would begin Tuesday, Oct. 1, according to a Bloomberg news report. The additional attention comes after it was discovered that beans from some countries showed levels of glyphosate that came close to regulatory limits. A company memo seen by Bloomberg indicated the new effort should be temporary until producing countries correct how much glyphosate is applied to coffee crops.
Many countries have either banned the use of glyphosate or are seeking to prohibit the use of glyphosate which is used in the popular weed killer Roundup. Bayer AG, the parent company of Roundup maker Monsanto, is coping with lawsuits claiming the weed killer causes cancer.
“We actively monitor chemical residues, including glyphosate, in the green coffee that we purchase,” Switzerland-based Nestlé said in a statement. “This monitoring program has shown that in some green coffee lots chemical residue levels are close to limits defined by regulations. We are reinforcing our controls working with suppliers to ensure that our green coffee continues to meet regulations all around the world.”
Nestlé’s additional testing primarily targets coffee beans arriving at factories in regions such as Europe, Australia, and Malaysia where legal limits on glyphosate are stricter.
The company said it is working with growers to reduce the need for glyphosate through weed management practices, Bloomberg reported.