The popular cereal that contains the same cancer-causing ingredient as weed killer
A new study has revealed that 21 types of cereal and snack bars popular with children contain the same cancer-causing chemical found in some weed killers.
The disturbing research was completed by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and claims that products produced by brands such as Nature Valley and Cheerios contain “troubling levels of glyphosate”.
In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans”. Two years later, the chemical was classified as a “known carcinogen” by California’s Office Of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
The study found levels of glyphosate found in the Australian-sold varieties of cereal contain significantly more than the recommended amount.
The standard Cheerios variety included 729 parts per billion (PPB) of glyphosate, where the benchmark is 160 PPB.
“As these latest tests show, a box of Cheerios or other oat-based foods on store shelves today almost certainly comes with a dose of a cancer-causing weedkiller,” Olga Naidenko, vice president for science investigations at EWG, said in a statement.
Glyphosate is usually used as a weed killer on genetically modified crops and is used in cereal to speed up the drying time of crops so they can be harvested.
Many of the other cereals in the study are not available in Australia, but the top six of the 21 cereals tested were all varieties of Cheerios.
In August last year, three separate juries awarded millions to three separate claims against Bayer-Monsanto, claiming the weed killer manufacturer covered up the risks for the cancer-causing chemical in its popular product, Roundup.
The EWG is urging consumers to add their name to the more than 236,000 people who have signed a petition to request the chemical is removed from food.
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