Breakfast cereals: glyphosate present in all samples reviewed by the EWG

Traces of glyphosate in all samples of products made with traditionally grown oats and analyzed.

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Still too much glyphosate present in cereals for children's breakfast. Here are the troubling results of the EWG's new tests

Glyphosate baby cereal. A second series of tests commissioned by the American environment working group, the EWG, dates back to these days, which found the active ingredient of Monsanto's herb, Roundup, in all analyzed samples of breakfast cereals and other foods. made from oats sold to children.

Analyzes found glyphosate in all 28 samples of products based on oats grown in the traditional way. Two of the 28 samples had even higher levels of the possible carcinogen than certain added vitamins (for example, tests of a sample of General Mills Honey Nut Cheerios showed higher amounts of glyphosate residue than the added vitamins D or B12).

This is a second line of investigations, which follows those already carried out at the end of last summer at the end of last summer, when the Environmental Working Group itself tested 45 conventional products - including oat-based cereals, oatmeal, granola and even some snack bars, sold in the US - in search of traces of glyphosate and found that the herbicide was present in 43.

Glyphosate in cereals, the EWG investigations

The analyzes conducted by the American group - already author, among other things, of the famous Dirty Dozzina, concerning fruit and vegetables contaminated by pesticides - recorded traces of glyphosate in all 28 samples of products made with traditionally grown oats. In two of these samples, there were glyphosate levels even higher than the EWG health benchmark of 160 parts per billion, or ppb (parts per billion, a unit of measurement corresponding to a ratio of 1 billion to 1).

Tested products include 10 samples of different types of General Mills Cheerios e 18 samples of different PepsiCo Quaker-branded products, including instant oatmeal, breakfast cereals, and some types of snack bars.

The highest level of glyphosate was 2.837 ppb in Quaker Oatmeal Squares breakfast cereals, nearly 18 times higher than the EWG children's health benchmark.

The new EWG tests find glyphosate in all Quaker and Cheerios oat grains.

Breakfast cereals: glyphosate present in all samples reviewed by the EWG

Glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide in the world, is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as "probably carcinogenic" to humans. The IARC defended this decision despite continuing attacks from Monsanto. In 2017, glyphosate was also listed by the California Office of Environmental Health Risk Assessment as a chemical known to cause cancer.

“How many bowls of cereal and oatmeal have American children eaten with a dose of herbicide? This is a question that only General Mills, PepsiCo and other food companies can answer - says EWG President Ken Cook. But if those companies just switched to oats that aren't sprinkled with glyphosate, parents shouldn't be wondering whether or not their children's breakfast may contain a cancer-related chemical. Glyphosate and other cancer-causing chemicals simply cannot belong in children's food. "

Already following the release of the first batch of tests two months ago, General Mills and Quaker Oats Company got on the defensive, noting that the glyphosate levels found were within limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency.

But we keep saying that just because something is legal doesn't mean it's safe. However, the standards for pesticides in food are often exceeded, also thanks to industrial policies and profit opportunities.

Studies regularly find that legal limits on contaminants in food, air, drinking water and consumer products do not fully protect public health, particularly for children and other people most sensitive to the effects of toxic chemicals.

Under the sign maximum recommended daily dose of glyphosate in food is 0,01 milligramsthe. For a 60-gram serving of food, this daily intake limit translates into a safety standard of 160 ppb of glyphosate. This health benchmark is based on the risks of exposure throughout life, as it goes without saying that reduced and repeated exposures can increase if someone eats food containing glyphosate every day.

More than 156 people have signed a petition - which you can find here - to ask General Mills, Quaker and Kellogg's to eliminate glyphosate from their products.