Original Roundup Formula is Being Replaced in All U.S. Retail Stores.
Affected by roundup?
Were you or an immediate family member diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma or another blood cancer after using Roundup weed killer? Join the fight against the manufacturers today.
Back in 2021, Roundup manufacturers Bayer and Monsanto announced that they would begin switching out the original Roundup formula in all U.S. retail stores at the start of 2023 with a safer alternative containing different ingredients. Today, shoppers are reporting that a new version of Roundup labeled as its “Exclusive Formula” has finally begun to hit the shelves.
Why would Bayer and Monsanto agree to replace Roundup?
The 2021 announcement to replace the original Roundup formula in U.S. retail stores was part of Bayer’s overarching Five-Point Plan to manage current and future Roundup litigation. Prior to this announcement, Bayer and Monsanto had lost three major Roundup trials between 2018 and 2019, owing plaintiffs nearly $2.5 billion in damages before appeal. The legal industry had all eyes on the merger companies after these verdicts, and taking action to lessen the consequences of future Roundup lawsuits was essential for Bayer and Monsanto if they wanted to survive through the thousands of claims still waiting to be settled.
According to the official Five-Point Plan, Bayer and Monsanto would be transitioning the “manufacturing of [their] glyphosate products in the U.S. residential Lawn & Garden market to new formulations that have different active ingredients.”
Glyphosate, the main ingredient in the original Roundup formula that has been linked to Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and other blood cancers, would not be included in these new formulations, according to Bayer.
Shortly after the initial announcement, Bayer released an update on its Five-Point Plan, stating that the company would formally begin the replacement process beginning in 2023. As of spring 2024, only some areas in the United States have seen this transition take effect in local retail stores. Bayer and Monsanto have not yet announced an estimated completion date for this transition.
What about the other Roundup formulations being sold?
As the Five-Point Plan announcement suggested, Bayer and Monsanto intend to replace only the versions of Roundup sold in U.S. retail stores for home and garden use. Currently, there are no plans to change the formulas for their industrial-level or internationally sold Roundup products, meaning that these versions of Roundup will still contain the chemical glyphosate.
Within its Five-Point Plan, Bayer insisted, despite making these changes to reduce the impact of future Roundup lawsuits, that its glyphosate products were still safe to use and that these changes do not indicate any admission of liability or wrongdoing. Additionally, instead of accepting even partial responsibility for these lawsuits, Bayer blamed its misfortunes on the U.S. mass tort system for allowing blood cancer victims to come forward with claims against the Roundup manufacturer without having to pay for legal fees upfront.
It is clear, based on these remarks and these companies’ refusal to replace the industrial and international formulas of Roundup, that they have no desire to reduce the health risks their products might present to their consumers, but instead a desire to continue making profit and to avoid getting into legal trouble for their negligence.
Featured image provided by mike mozart on flickr.
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