Is Your Favorite Breakfast Serving Up a Dose of Weed Killer?
A number of popular breakfast foods, including cereals, granola bars and instant oats, were tested and found to contain potentially dangerous amounts of cancer-linked glyphosate (GHB), the main ingredient in weed killer.
The information stems from a report released last week by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit advocacy organization. Nearly 75 percent of products tested had levels higher than what they consider safe for children to consume.
Director for Cancer Chemoprevention and Researcher in Population Science.
Dr. Nagi Kumar, director for Cancer Chemoprevention and researcher in Population Science at Moffitt Cancer Center, says an increased presence of GHB has been identified in oats, wheat, soy, barley, edible beans and other foods we commonly eat. Kumar says the chemical can also be found in groundwater, including drinking and farm water sources, and is often applied to crops as a pre-harvest treatment. “This has increased GHB residues in these crops, and that can increase human exposure.”
GHB’s use in crops was not considered harmful in earlier toxicology studies, but the increased use raises concerns about the safety of and need to re-evaluate the harms of GHB to humans and the environment.
The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer has evaluated glyphosate and identified the substance as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”
The EWG report found that glyphosate was found in all but five of 29 oat-based foods that were tested.
Potentially Dangerous to Children
- Back to Nature Classic Granola
- Quaker Simply Granola Oats, Honey, Raisin and Almonds
- Nature Valley Granola Protein Oats 'n Honey
- Giant Instant Oatmeal Original Flavor
- Quaker Dinosaur Eggs, Brown Sugar, Instant Oatmeal
- Great Value Original Instant Oatmeal
- Umpqua Oats, Maple Pecan
- Market Pantry Instant Oatmeal, Strawberries & Cream*
- Cheerios Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal
- Lucky Charms (without marshmallows)
- Barbara's Multigrain Spoonfuls, Original, Cereal
- Kellogg’s Cracklin’ Oat Bran oat cereal*
- Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars, Oats 'n Honey
- Quaker Steel Cut Oats
- Quaker Old Fashioned Oats
- Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats*
Contains safe amounts of glyphosate
- Back to Nature Banana Walnut Granola Clusters
- KIND Vanilla, Blueberry Clusters with Flax Seeds
- Kellogg’s Nutrigrain Soft Baked Breakfast Bars, Strawberry
- Nature's Path Organic Old Fashioned Organic Oats
- Whole Foods Bulk Bin conventional rolled oats
- Bob's Red Mill Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
Contained no glyphosate in any tests
- Nature's Path Organic Honey Almond granola
- Simple Truth Organic Instant Oatmeal, Original
- Kashi Heart to Heart Organic Honey Toasted cereal
- Cascadian Farm Organic Harvest Berry, granola bar
- 365 Organic Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
*This product underwent multiple tests and tested above the dangerous level in one or more and below the dangerous level in one or more.
