New 2019 Tests Confirm 19 More Foods That Contain Weed-Killing Chemical Linked to Cancer
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Back in August 2018, a study conducted by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found that a number of breakfast foods and cereals may contain trace amounts of glyphosate, a commonly used weed-killing chemical found in Roundup products that has been linked to cancer. In that report, "Roundup for Breakfast?," researchers found that 31 out of the 45 food products they tested had higher amounts of the herbicide present than what some scientists consider safe for children to ingest.
On Oct. 24, 2018, the EWG released part two of that report with results from a second round of tests, this time with information on 19 Quaker and General Mills cereals, oatmeals, and granola bars that contain glyphosate, all of which are commonly consumed by kids especially. Now, a new set of tests conducted in May 2019 include an additional 19 kid-friendly cereals and granola bars that contain an unsafe amount of glyphosate.
"How many bowls of cereal and oatmeal have American kids eaten that came with a dose of weed killer? That's a question only General Mills, PepsiCo, and other food companies can answer," said EWG president Ken Cook in October. "But if those companies would just switch to oats that aren't sprayed with glyphosate, parents wouldn't have to wonder if their kids' breakfasts contained a chemical linked to cancer. Glyphosate and other cancer-causing chemicals simply don't belong in children's food, period."
Check out the list of cereals, oatmeals, and granola bars with glyphosate that you should toss STAT, and read up on some of the glyphosate-free cereals you can replace those with on your next trip to the grocery store.
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Potentially Dangerous, Samples Contained More Glyphosate Than EWG's Benchmark
All of the following cereals, oatmeals, and granola bars were tested at least once (in some cases, twice) in 2018 and were found to have levels of glyphosate above the EWG's health benchmark of 160 parts per billion (ppb):
- Quaker Simply Granola Oats, Honey & Almonds
- Quaker Instant Oatmeal Apples & Cinnamon
- Quaker Real Medleys Super Grains Banana Walnut
- Quaker Overnight Oats Raisin Walnut & Honey Heaven
- Quaker Overnight Oats Unsweetened with Chia Seeds
- Quaker Oatmeal Squares Brown Sugar
- Quaker Oatmeal Squares Honey Nut*
- Apple Cinnamon Cheerios
- Very Berry Cheerios
- Chocolate Cheerios
- Frosted Cheerios
- Fruity Cheerios
- Honey Nut Cheerios
- Cheerios Oat Crunch Cinnamon
- Quaker Chewy S'mores Granola Bars
- Quaker Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
- Quaker Breakfast Squares Soft Baked Bars Peanut Butter
- Quaker Breakfast Flats Cranberry Almond Breakfast Squares
*These breakfast squares were found to have the highest level of glyphosate found by the lab at 2,837 ppb, which is nearly 18 times higher than EWG's children's health benchmark. Not far behind were the Quaker Oatmeal Squares Brown Sugar, which contained 2,746 ppb of glyphosate.
All of the following cereals, oatmeals, and granola bars were tested in May 2019 and were found to have levels of glyphosate above the EWG's health benchmark of 160 parts per billion (ppb):
- Cheerios Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal*
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheerios
- Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch*
- Multi Grain Cheerios
- Nature Valley Baked Oat Bites
- Nature Valley Granola Peanut Butter Creamy & Crunchy
- Nature Valley Granola Protein Oats n Dark Chocolate
- Nature Valley Fruit & Nut Chewy Trail Mix Granola Bars, Dark Chocolate & Nut
- Nature Valley Fruit & Nut Chewy Trail Mix Granola Bars, Dark Chocolate Cherry
- Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut granola bars, Cashew
- Nature Valley Crunchy granola bars, Oats and Honey
- Nature Valley Crunchy granola bars, Peanut Butter
- Nature Valley Crunchy granola bars, Maple Brown Sugar
- Nature Valley Soft-Baked Oatmeal Squares, Blueberry
- Nature Valley Soft-Baked Oatmeal Squares, Cinnamon Brown Sugar
- Nature Valley Granola Cups, Almond Butter
- Nature Valley Granola Cups, Peanut Butter Chocolate
- Nature Valley Biscuits with Almond Butter
- Fiber One Oatmeal Raisin soft-baked cookies
*The two highest levels of glyphosate were found in Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch, with 833 ppb, and Cheerios, with 729 ppb.
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Samples Contained Safe Amounts of Glyphosate
One of the oatmeals tested twice, Quaker Instant Oatmeal Cinnamon & Spice, was found to have "safe" levels of glyphosate below EWG's health benchmark of 160 ppb. However, there were still trace amounts of the chemical detected — 128 ppb in the first test, 45 ppb in the second.
An update from the Quaker Media Team on Oct. 25, 2018: "We proudly stand by the safety and quality of our Quaker products. Quaker does not add glyphosate during any part of the milling process. Glyphosate is commonly used by farmers across the industry who apply it preharvest. Once the oats are transported to us, we put them through our rigorous process that thoroughly cleanses them (dehulling, cleaning, roasting, and flaking). Any minimal levels of glyphosate that may remain in finished products where oats are an ingredient are significantly below regulatory limits and well within compliance of the safety standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, Health Canada, and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as safe for human consumption. The EWG report artificially creates a 'safe level' for glyphosate that is detached from those that have been established by responsible regulatory bodies in an effort to grab headlines, and has the potential to falsely alarm consumers, leading them to avoid consumption of many oat-based foods that are proven to be beneficial for the human diet. We believe EWG's approach is invalid, and we stand behind our statement that the Quaker products tested by EWG are safe. Producing healthy, wholesome food is Quaker's number one priority, and we've been doing that for more than 140 years."