About Us

The Detox Project is a research and certification platform dedicated to bringing transparency to the food and supplement industries on the issue of toxic chemicals. We believe people have a right to know what is in the products they buy and consume, and we work with brands, researchers and consumers to make that information clear, credible and verifiable.

Certification.

Our flagship program, Glyphosate Residue Free (GRF), verifies that food, supplement and ingredient products contain no detectable residues of glyphosate, the world’s most widely used herbicide. Products are tested by independent, ISO 17025-accredited laboratories using gold-standard LC-MS/MS methods, and must show no glyphosate down to government-recognized limits of detection, typically 0.01 ppm. More than 200 brands and thousands of products now carry the GRF seal, from supplements and pantry staples to beer and ready-to-drink cocktails.

Alongside GRF, our CleanScan certification uses a QR code on the package that lets shoppers see lab results for pesticides, heavy metals and GMOs directly, across food, supplements, personal care products and clothing. It also helps baby food brands meet new heavy-metal disclosure requirements such as California’s AB 899.

Testing.

We bring laboratory-grade testing technology out of the lab and into people’s homes, so anyone can find out what toxic chemicals are in their food, their environment and their body.

• GlyphoCheck™ Home Test. Developed by Pennsylvania-based Gold Standard Diagnostics, this kit uses the same lateral-flow immunoassay technology that laboratories and government agencies rely on for glyphosate analysis, simplified for home use with everyday household items. It is validated for water, beer, honey, cereals and infant cereals, oats, wheat, corn, soybeans and soil.
• Hair testing for pesticides and plasticizers. In partnership with IRES Lab, we were the first to make hair testing for pesticides available to the public. Forensic science has used hair analysis for decades, and it gives a far longer view of exposure than other methods: roughly 90 to 120 days, compared with two to three weeks for urine and two to three days for blood. Panels range from glyphosate, AMPA and glufosinate alone to screens of more than 100 pesticides, along with 12 bisphenols and phthalates, all analyzed by validated mass spectrometry.
• Wristband monitor for endocrine disruptors. Also developed by IRES Lab, this fully non-invasive test uses a silicone wristband that absorbs chemicals from your surroundings as you go about daily life, at home, at work or at play. The returned wristband is analyzed for hormone-disrupting chemicals, including bisphenols, phthalates and common household and agricultural pesticides.

Beyond individual testing, our goal is to change how exposure is measured altogether. We are working to introduce hair and wristband biomonitoring to governments, regulators and NGOs worldwide, so that public health monitoring captures long-term exposure rather than just a snapshot.

Research & Alternatives.

The Detox Project has initiated and supported a series of groundbreaking testing projects that have put hard data behind the debate on pesticides:

• Biomonitoring for glyphosate across U.S. (2016). Partnership with UCSF on the first U.S. wide biomonitoring project for glyphosate in human samples
• First glyphosate results in human hair (2018). Working with IRES Lab, we released the first-ever results for glyphosate levels in human hair.
• European Parliament hair study (2018). A project we initiated with IRES Lab tested 148 hair samples from six EU countries for long-term pesticide exposure; the results were released by the Greens/European Free Alliance group in the European Parliament.
• Portugal (2019). Urine and food testing carried out with the Portuguese No GMO Coalition found glyphosate levels well above those seen in other EU countries.
• Japanese Parliament (2019). Hair testing of 23 members of Japan’s national parliament showed that most had long-term exposure to a range of pesticides, including glyphosate.
• Supplement testing (2021). We tested best-selling pea protein supplements to reveal what residues they actually contain.
• “Glyphosate: Unsafe on Any Plate” and “The Poison in Our Daily Bread” (2022). The most comprehensive glyphosate testing reports on U.S. food products ever conducted, documenting weedkiller contamination in essential foods sold by leading brands.

We also continue to work with the Association for Advanced Crop Protection at government and investor level to support new technologies that offer alternatives to chemical herbicides, with the goal of a food system where cleaner practices are the norm, not the exception.