At least 21 cereals contain weed killer chemical: Chemical blamed for Roundup cancers found in Cheerios, Nature Valley and Fiber One products
- New Environmental Working Group study found glysophate in at least 21 cereals
- The chemical has been blamed for cancers in several US court cases and is considered a 'probably carcinogen' by the World Health Organization
- Glysophate was found in cereals, snack bars and granola made by Cheerios, Nature Valley and Fiber One
At least 21 cereals, snack bars and granolas made by Cheerios, Nature Valley and Fiber One contain glysophate, a new study reveals.
Glysophate is the chemical in Bayer-Monsanto's blockbuster weedkiller, Roundup, that has been linked to scores of cancers across the US.
Scientists at the Environmental Working Group (EWG) found the ingredient in oat-based cereals made by General Mills and Fiber One at levels above what the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers safe.
Some of the cereals had more than five times the EPA's 160 parts per billion of glysophate, EWG warned.
Popular Honey Nut Cheerios were among the 21 cereals found to contain the cancer-linked chemical glysophate, according to a new report
Glysophate has been classified as a probable carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (an arm of the WHO) since 2015.
Yet the chemical keeps showing up in food in the US.
The EPA and consumer protection groups like the EWG have been trying to get the chemical outlawed altogether.
But it has long been used on some of the most widely grown crops in the US, like corn and soybeans.
Honey Nut Cheerios are the second most popular cereal in the US - and they made EWG's list of contaminated cereals.
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Glysophate has been the subject of a growing number of lawsuits against Bayer Monsanto.
People across the US are claiming that their long-term use of Roundup led them to develop cancers including lymphoma.
So far, California courts have awarded over $2.2 billion in total to three plaintiffs in those lawsuits.
Their exposures were likely far greater than what people eating these cereals would encounter but, notably, cereals are popular among children.
Despite the damning findings, General Mills said that its 'top priority is food safety,' according to CNN.
'The only way to quickly remove this cancer-causing weedkiller from foods marketed to children is for companies like General Mills and Quaker to use oats from farmers who do not use glyphosate as a desiccant,' wrote the EWG study authors.
The recent findings have only fanned the flames of the group's ire over the chemical.
It has thus far collected over 236,00 signatures on a petition calling on major food companies to take better measures to protect consumer health.
As for Bayer-Monsanto, EWG said the company 'knew about the risks for decades and went to extraordinary lengths to cover it up.'
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