Warning!

Nature Valley cereal and Roundup weed killer share this same ingredient.

A recent WAFB report provides that twenty-one oat-based cereal and snack products popular with children contain traces of glyphosate, the active ingredient in the weed killer Roundup. Traces of the ingredient were discovered during tests conducted by the Environmental Working Group(EWG). EWG said the tests found glyphosate levels above what it considers safe for children in all but four of the products.

The twenty-one products that were tested were made by General Mills, including six varieties of Cheerios and 14 General Mills’ Nature Valley Products, such as Nature Valley granola bars. Of those products the two highest levels of glyphosate were detected in Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch and Cheerios, at 833 parts per billion and 729 parts per billion, respectively. The EWG states that it considers anything over 160 parts per billion to be unsafe for children. This report is the latest from EWG to detect traces of glyphosate in cereals.

General Mills responded to these allegations by stating “food safety is a “top priority” for the company, and they are working to minimize the use of pesticides on the ingredients it uses.Additionally, General Mills provided that “Most crops grown in fields use some form of pesticides and trace amounts are found in the majority of food we all eat,”

 

A list of all General Mills product can be found at: https://www.generalmills.com/en/Brands/Cereals/tiny-toast/brand-product-list

 

There appears to be contradictory scientific opinion concerning the hazard nature of Glyphosate. However, Glyphosate has been the source of many high-profile cases alleging that the chemical causes cancer. Earlier in 2019 a California jury awarded a couple $2 billion in punitive damages after concluding that the sustained exposure to Roundup weed killer led to their cancer diagnosis. Prior to the recent verdict, two San Francisco juries awarded verdicts in excess of $70 million on behalf of plaintiffs who blamed the use of Roundup for their resulting cancer diagnosis.

There are currently more than 13,000 other lawsuits that have been filed against Monsanto, the owner of Roundup. Another trial is now set for August 2019 in St. Louis County, Missouri, the site of the Monsanto’s former headquarters. Monsanto, a subsidiary of Bayer.

 

 

 

Sources:

https://www.npr.org/2019/05/13/723056453/california-jury-awards-2-billion-to-couple-in-roundup-weed-killer-cancer-trial

https://www.wafb.com/2019/06/13/cheerios-nature-valley-cereals-contain-roundup-ingredient-study-finds/

https://www.generalmills.com/en/Brands/Cereals/tiny-toast/brand-product-list