Last week Monsanto was ordered to pay $289 million to a man by a jury that ruled its Roundup weedkiller caused his cancer. The landmark verdict was a watershed moment for those who have long maintained the company’s products can harm and kill people. But in related and unsettling news, the Environmental Working Group has released independent laboratory test results that found that Roundup’s weed-killing poison, glyphosate, has been found in 43 of 45 cereals tested, including those we feed our children.
Of the 43 cereals that tested positive for glyphosate, 31 of those had a glyphosate level greater than 160 parts per billion–the threshold the EWG deems harmful to humans. Cereals found to be above the threshold in the independent laboratory tests include:
- Quaker Simply Granola Oats, Honey, Raisins & Almonds
- Nature Valley Granola Protein Oats ‘n Honey
- Quaker Dinosaur Eggs, Brown Sugar, Instant Oatmeal
- Cheerios Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal
- Lucky Charms, among others
The EWG is urging consumers to contact the EPA to request that they restrict pre-harvest applications of glyphosate. To see the full list of cereals tested in the EWG’s independent laboratory tests, click here.
Update: Monsanto provided the following statement:
“Even at the highest level reported by the EWG (1,300 ppb), an adult would have to eat 118 pounds of the food item every day for the rest of their life to reach the EPA’s limit. Of course, nobody eats close to that much food! Using oatmeal as an example, 118 pounds would equal 228 servings or 3,658 percent of the daily recommended intake of fiber. These numbers translate to 9 ½ servings every hour without sleep for a person’s entire life.”
Further reading: Should you be scared about weed killer in your cereal? Probably not.
Recognize your brand’s excellence by applying to this year’s Brands That Matter Awards before the early-rate deadline, May 3.
.jpg){kind=link}