(WHDH) — A slew of popular breakfast cereals and snacks consumed by many on a daily basis have tested positive for trace amounts of a herbicide found in Roundup weed killer, according to a report published Wednesday by an environmental protection group.
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) says it tested 28 products made with conventionally grown oats and found levels of glyphosate above EWG’s health benchmark of 160 parts per billion in 26 of them.
Glyphosate is said to be the most widely used herbicide in the world. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies it is a carcinogen to people.
Products tested by a lab in San Francisco included 10 samples of different types of General Mills’ Cheerios and 18 samples of different Quaker brand products from PepsiCo, including instant oatmeal, breakfast cereal, and snack bars, the report stated.
The group says the highest level of glyphosate found by the lab was 2,837 parts per billion in Quaker Oatmeal Squares breakfast cereal, which is nearly 18 times higher than EWG’s children’s health benchmark.
“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,” EWG President Ken Cook said. “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.”
The report comes two months after EWG published the results from a series of tests that found glyphosate in 43 of 45 foods made with conventionally grown oats.
For a full list of tested products, click here.
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