Weed-killing chemical linked to cancer found in dozens of popular children’s cereals

Herbicide glyphosate found in 43 out of 45 oat-based cereals and snack bars

Chris Baynes
Thursday 16 August 2018 15:01 BST
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Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, the UK's most popular weedkiller
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, the UK's most popular weedkiller

A weed-killing chemical linked to cancer has been found in dozens of popular breakfast cereals and snack bars, including products marketed to children.

Tests found glyphosate, the active ingredient in the herbicide Roundup, in all but two of 45 oat-based foods sampled by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), an American public health organisation.

The findings come days after a landmark court case in which Roundup manufacturer Monsanto was ordered to pay $289m (£230m) to a school groundsman who claimed the weedkiller contributed to his terminal cancer.

More than two-thirds of the oat products tested by EWG contained levels of glyphosate above what the organisation considers to be safe for consumption by children.

Products made by leading brands such as Quaker Oats, Cheerios and Kellogg’s were among those found to have highest levels of the chemical.

Two samples of Quaker Old Fashioned Oats were measured at more than 1,000 parts per billion (pbb) of glyphosate. The company’s Dinosaur Eggs cereal and Steel Cut Oats each returned readings of more than 500 parts per billion.

EWG’s benchmark for safe daily exposure to glyphosate in food is a maximum of 160 ppb for children, although some scientists have disputed the figure.

“I grew up eating Cheerios and Quaker Oats long before they were tainted with glyphosate,” said EWG president Ken Cook. “No one wants to eat a weed killer for breakfast, and no one should have to do so.”

Glyphosate herbicides are widely used in UK and US agriculture, and Roundup is one of the most popular weedkiller brands.

Environmentalists say the weedkiller is linked to cancer, but the claim is strongly denied by manufacturers and the EU has approved the chemical for use.

The 5 most common types of cancer in the UK

Monsanto vice-president Scott Partridge has said his company would “vigorously defend” its product after a a court in San Francisco awarded groundsman Dewayne Johnson a $289m settlement.

Mr Johnson, 46, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2014, having used the weedkiller and a similar Monsanto product, Ranger Pro, in large quantities while working. A jury said the firm had failed to warn customers Roundup was dangerous.

“It is very troubling that cereals children like to eat contain glyphosate,” said Alexis Temkin, a toxicologist at EWG and author of the group’s report. “Parents shouldn’t worry about whether feeding their children heathy oat foods will also expose them to a chemical linked to cancer.

“The government must take steps to protect our most vulnerable populations.”

The human health effects of glyphosate remain uncertain.

In 2015, the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer classified the chemical as “probably carcinogenic”.

But 2016, a joint report by the WHO and the UN said that while there was “some evidence of a positive association between glyphosate exposure and risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma” in some studies, the only large study of high quality found “no evidence of an association at any exposure level”.

It concluded glyphosate “is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk to humans from exposure through the diet”.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates a daily exposure of two milligrams of glyphosate - effectively far more than the EWP’s benchwork – “would not cause adverse effects throughout a lifetime”.

The EWP accused the EPA of underestimating the risk of the chemical and said children could be at risk from a smaller intake because of their “increased susceptibility to carcinogens”.

Quaker said it stood by the “safety and quality” of its products.

A spokeswoman added: “Quaker does not add glyphosate during any part of the milling process. Glyphosate is commonly used by farmers across the industry who apply it pre-harvest. Once the oats are transported to us, we put them through our rigorous process that thoroughly cleanses them.

“Any levels of glyphosate that may remain are significantly below any regulatory limits and well within compliance of the safety standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency and the European Food Safety Authority as safe for human consumption.”

A Kellogg’s spokeswoman said: “Our food is safe. Providing safe, high-quality foods is one of the ways we earn the trust of millions of people around the world.

“The Environmental Protection Agency sets strict standards for safe levels of these agricultural residues and the ingredients we purchase from suppliers for our foods fall under these limits.”

The Independent has contacted General Mills, the manufacturer of Cheerios, for comment.

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