Is There A Cancer Causing Pesticide in My Kids Favorite Breakfast Foods?!
Earlier this week I posted about how Monsanto, the company that makes the popular weed killer Roundup, has been ordered to pay
$289 million USD to a terminally ill school groundsman who used Roundup weedkiller and claims the pesticide contributed to his non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (read the full article here)
Now, glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, is again in the news. The Environmental Working Group just published a report where they found glyphosate in the majority of samples of common breakfast products made with conventionally and organically grown oats.
The organization tested 45 products and found that 43 tested positive for the chemical; 31 contained levels above what EWG scientists have determined is safe for children’s health (they all tested well below what the EPA has determined safe for kids. EWG's safety level is about 100 times lower than what EPA says is safe).
They tested both non-organic and organic oats. Organic items showed much lower levels of the pesticide, however 5 of the 16 organic samples still tested positive for containing glyphosate ( all were deemed safely under the EWG level of danger for children).
The Results:
Tested positive for potentially dangerous levels of glyphosate:
Quaker Oats products:
Old Fashioned Rolled Oats *
Steel Cut Oats *
Simply Granola Oats Honey
Raisin and Almonds
Dinosaur Eggs Instant Oatmeal *
Umpqua Oats, Maple Pecan
Cereals
Lucky Charms
Cheerios *
Barbara's Multigrain Spoonfuls
Barbara's Multigrain Spoonfuls, Original, Cereal
Kellogg’s Cracklin’ Oat Bran oat cereal
Granola
Back to Nature Classic Granola
Nature Valley Granola Protein Oats 'n Honey
Granola Bars
Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars, Oats 'n Honey
Quaker Chewy Chocolate Chip granola bar
Bob’s Red Mill oats steel cut oats
Great Value Original Instant Oatmeal
Market Pantry Instant Oatmeal, Strawberries & Cream
Nature's Path Organic Old Fashioned Organic Oats
Giant Instant Oatmeal *
* had the highest levels
Items that tested positive for low/“safe” levels of the weed-killer,
Granola
Back to Nature Banana Walnut Granola Clusters
KIND Vanilla, Blueberry Clusters with Flax Seeds
Granola Bars
Kellogg’s Nutrigrain Soft Baked Breakfast Bars, Strawberry
Oatmeal
Whole Foods Bulk Bin conventional rolled oats
Bob's Red Mill Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (4 samples tested)
Items Tested with undetectable levels of weed killer
Granola/ Granola Bars
Nature's Path Organic Honey Almond granola
Cascadian Farm Organic Harvest Berry, granola bar
Oatmeal
365 Organic Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
Simple Truth Organic Instant Oatmeal, Original
Cereal
Kashi Heart to Heart Organic Honey Toasted cereal
Glyphosate has been classified by the World Health Organization as "probably carcinogenic to humans" and was added to California's Prop 65 List of Chemicals Known to Cause Cancer. Read more here
Update: There is a new in home test available for you to test your family's water and favorite foods - Read more about it here