Civil Eats, in an article published Wednesday, quoted FDA spokeswoman Lauren Sucher as saying the agency is "considering assignments" for the current fiscal year to "measure glyphosate in soybeans, corn, milk, and eggs, among other potential foods."
By testing for residues of the chemical, the FDA may answer longstanding concerns about whether it ends up in the food supply. If detected in large amounts, the industry would likely see an increased demand for stricter regulations.
Among the groups that welcomed the FDA announcement was the Center for Biological Diversity, which noted in a statement that glyphosate has been named as a leading cause of massive declines in monarch butterflies.
Nathan Donley, a scientist with the group, said it was "shocking" it took the FDA so long to agree to testing. He added that he's "glad it's finally going to happen."
"More and more scientists are raising concerns about the effects of glyphosate on human health and the environment," said Donley, adding that FDA data is "badly needed to facilitate long-overdue conversations about how much of this chemical we should tolerate in our food."
Gary Ruskin, co-director of U.S. Right to Know, agreed testing is a "good first step," but said it must be thorough and widespread. He encouraged the U.S. Department of Agriculture to join the effort.
The FDA said a main reason it did not test for the herbicide in the past was because the available methods were "very cost- and labor-intensive to implement in FDA field labs," according to a statement to Agri-Pulse. New "streamlined methods" have made testing for glyphosate cheaper, the FDA said.
"If FDA does move forward with additional testing in a scientifically rigorous manner, we are confident it will reaffirm the long-standing safety profile of this vital tool used safely and effectively by farmers, landowners and homeowners around the world," Monsanto said in a statement.
Monsanto's patent on the herbicide expired in 2000, but the St. Louis-based company continues to reap about $5 billion annually in sales from glyphosate, Civil Eats reported.
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Pope Francis receives a cross made by an inmate during his visit to the CeReSo n. 3 penitentiary in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Wednesday. Photo by Gabriel Buoys/Pool/via Reuters
ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE -- Thrusting himself into the heated American presidential campaign, Pope Francis declared Thursday that Donald Trump is "not Christian" if he wants to address illegal immigration only by building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Trump fired back ferociously, saying it was "disgraceful" for a religious leader to question a person's faith.
The rare back-and-forth between pontiff and presidential candidate was the latest astonishing development in an American election already roiled by Trump's free-wheeling rhetoric and controversial policy proposals, particularly on immigration. It also underscored the popular pope's willingness to needle U.S. politicians on hot-button issues.
Francis' comments came hours after he concluded a visit to Mexico, where he prayed at the border for people who died trying to reach the U.S. While speaking to reporters on the papal plane, he was asked what he thought of Trump's campaign pledge to build a wall along the entire length of the border and expel millions of people in the U.S. illegally.
"A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian," he said. While Francis said he would "give the benefit of the doubt" because he had not heard Trump's border plans independently, he added, "I say only that this man is not a Christian if he has said things like that."
Trump, a Presbyterian and the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, responded within minutes.
"For a religious leader to question a person's faith is disgraceful," he said at a campaign stop in South Carolina, which holds a key primary on Saturday. "I am proud to be a Christian, and as president I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened."
Trump also raised the prospect of the Islamic State extremist group attacking the Vatican, saying that if that happened, "the pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president because this would not have happened."
The billionaire businessman said later Thursday that he was "totally respectful" of the pope but stood by his initial response.
Francis, the first pope from Latin America, has been a vocal proponent of compassionate immigration policies. In an address to Congress during his visit to Washington last year, he urged lawmakers to respond to immigrants "in a way which is always humane, just and fraternal."
He also irked Republicans on the same trip with his forceful call for international action to address climate change. His comments prompted some GOP presidential candidates to suggest the pontiff stay out of politics.
Immigration is among the most contentious issues in American politics. Republicans have moved toward hardline positions that emphasize law enforcement and border security, blocking comprehensive legislation in 2013 that would have included a path to citizenship for many of the 11 million people in the U.S. illegally.
Hispanics, an increasingly large voting bloc in U.S. presidential elections, have flocked to Democrats in recent years. President Barack Obama won more than 70 percent in the 2012 election, leading some Republican leaders to conclude that the party could win the White House back only if it increased its appeal to the fast-growing group.
However, the current GOP presidential primary has been dominated by increasingly tough rhetoric on immigration, with Trump at the forefront. He's insisted that Mexico would pay for his proposed border wall and has said some Mexicans entering the U.S. illegally are murderers and rapists.
While Trump's rhetoric has been among the most inflammatory, some of his rivals have staked out similar enforcement positions. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson are among those who have explicitly called for construction of a wall.
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, one of the few GOP candidates proposing a path to legal status for people already in the U.S. illegally, said Thursday that he supports "walls and fencing where it's appropriate." Bush said that while he gets his guidance "as a Catholic" from the pope, he doesn't take his cues from Francis on "economic or environmental policy."
Marco Rubio, another Catholic seeking the GOP nomination, said that Vatican City has a right to control its borders and so does the United States.
Rubio said he has "tremendous respect and admiration" for the pope, but he added, "There's no nation on Earth that's more compassionate on immigration than we are."
Cruz said he was steering clear of the dispute. "That's between Donald and the pope," he said. "I'm not going to get in the middle of them."
It's unclear what impact, if any, the pope's rhetoric will have on the Republican primary. An October poll conducted by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that most Americans had no strong opinion on the pope's approach to immigration issues, though he was overall viewed favorably.
Even before Thursday's exchange, Trump had been critical of Francis' visit to Mexico. He said last week that the pope's plans to pray at the border showed he was a political figure being exploited by the Mexican government.
Francis glossed over Trump's assertion that he was a pawn of Mexico, telling reporters on his plane that he would "leave that up to your judgment." But he seemed pleased to hear the pope had called him a "political" figure, noting that Aristotle had described the human being as a "political animal."
Video by PBS NewsHour
Here is the full question and answer aboard the papal plane:
Q: Good evening Your Holiness. Today you spoke eloquently about the problems of migrants. On the other side of the frontier there's a very tough electoral campaign going on. One of the Republican candidates for the White House, Donald Trump, in a recent interview, said you are a "political man" and that maybe you are a pawn of the Mexican government as far as immigration policy is concerned. He has said that if elected, he would build a 2,500-kilometer long wall along the border. He wants to deport 11 million illegal immigrants, thus separating families, etc. I would like to ask you first off what do you think of these accusations against you, and if an American Catholic can vote for someone like this.
A: Thank God he said I was a politician because Aristotle defined the human person as "animal politicus." So at least I am a human person. As to whether I am a pawn, well, maybe, I don't know. I'll leave that up to your judgment and that of the people. And then, a person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the gospel. As far as what you said about whether I would advise to vote or not to vote, I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man is not Christian if he has said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt.
Associated Press writers Nicole Winfield and Julie Pace wrote this report. Pace reported from Greenville, South Carolina. AP writers Jill Colvin in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, and Tom Beaumont in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.
Associate Justice Antonin Scalia, who was found dead Saturday morning, served on the Supreme Court for almost 30 years.
The longest-serving member of the current court, Scalia was first sworn in on Sept. 26, 1986, after being nominated by President Ronald Reagan and unanimously confirmed by the Senate.
Watch the moment Scalia's Supreme Court career began above.
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