Washington, D.C.--On May 23, following a rally at Freedom Plaza in Washington, D.C., supplement and vitamin brandMegaFoodwill deliver a petition to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) calling to ban the use of glyphosate on consumer grade oats. The petition will include over 80,000 signatures.

The petition requests EPA to reduce the amount of glyphosate in oats and prohibit its use as a pre-harvest desiccant (drying agent) on the label of all glyphosate-containing products. MegaFood announced that Patagonia, Ben & Jerry's, Stonyfield Farm, MOM's Organic Market, and others are participating in the mission to raise awareness on the unsafe levels of glyphosate residue found in foods.

"We launched this petition last year urging the EPA to put an end to this pre-harvest use of glyphosate," saidBethany Davis, Director of Advocacy and Government Relations at MegaFood, in a pressrelease. "Now that the EPA has opened a public comment period on this petition, we will come together to show consumer and industry support for keeping our food safe from glyphosate."

Speakers including actor and activistMatthew Modine, Gary Hirshberg of Stonyfield Farm,Leah Segedieof Mamavation andColin O'Neilof Environmental Working Group will inform the crowd and encourage participation at the rally.

"Glyphosate is a broad-spectrum antibiotic and mineral chelator, destroying the microbiome of the soil our food is grown in and therefore, causing the food we consume to be devoid of essential nutrients," said Sara Newmark, VP of Social Impact at MegaFood, in the release. "We hope the EPA will do their part and recognize the need to protect the health of our planet and people."

Christopher Miller, Global Activism Strategy Manager at Ben & Jerry's, added, "We joined the EWG, MegaFood and the other companies in petitioning the EPA in order to reduce the permissible levels of glyphosate in oats. All of us, food companies and consumers alike, have an interest in reducing the amount of chemical pesticides and herbicides used broadly in agriculture and we believe this would be an important first step in doing just that."

The Toxicological Profile for Glyphosate draft for public comment is availablehere. To participate in the public comment period, gohere. Learn more about MegaFood's role and sign the petitionhere.