Popular oat cereals, granola bars, and oatmeal contain significant levels of glyphosate, the chemical in Monsanto’s popular weedkiller Roundup, according to new testing done by the Environmental Working Group. EWG’s study found that dozens of oat and cereal products contain levels of glyphosate higher than some suggested maximum dosages. The study comes on the heels of a jury verdict in favor of a groundskeeper who argued his exposure to glyphosate caused his terminal cancer.
Products including Nature Valley Granola Protein Oats ‘n Honey, Great Value instant oats, Lucky Charms, Crackling Oat Bran, and more were found to contain glyphosate at concentrations ranging from 10 parts per billion (ppb) to 1100 ppb. According to the report, “one would only have to eat a single 60-gram serving of food with a glyphosate level of 160 [ppb]” to reach EWG’s recommended maximum daily dose of glyphosate.
In the organization’s testing, 31 of 45 samples of products made with conventionally grown oats contained at least 160 ppb of glyphosate. The report notes that non-genetically engineered wheat and oats are increasingly sprayed with glyphosate just before harvest as a means of drying out the crop so it can be harvested more easily. The highest amounts of glyphosate were found in Quaker Old Fashioned Oats and Cheerios.
5 of 16 samples of products made with organic oats also contained glyphosate in EWG’s testing, at a lower concentration of 10 to 30 ppb. Organic products can be contaminated with non-organic chemicals via farm drift or processing facilities that also handles non-organic products.
There has long been a debate among scientists about glyphosate’s carcinogenic risk to humans. In 2015, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer determined glyphosate to be a probable carcinogen. Other entities have since classified the chemical as an unlikely carcinogen.
Last week, a jury in California found in favor of a groundskeeper, Dewayne Johnson, who argued that his terminal cancer was caused by his repeated and extensive exposure to glyphosate, in the form of Monsanto’s Roundup, in the course of his work. The jury awarded Johnson $289 million. Monsanto has said it will appeal the ruling.