Weed Killer, Glyphosate, In Your + Your Kids' Breakfast, Coffee + Dessert
Published April 2019
Oats are great for you:
Healthy
High in Beta-Glucan [fibre, gut health, reduces blood sugar + bad cholesterol].
Acta as a prebiotic.
Pair well with toppings [berries, honey, etc.].
Make for a great breakfast or smoothie bowl addition.
However…
If you haven’t heard, this is important information! RoundUp, a weed killer / herbicide, created by Monsanto, an agriculture company creating crop seeds and other products - now owned by Bayer - is used pretty much all over the world! PS. It is heavily marketed.
What is going on?
This weed killer is sprayed everywhere.
Because of its heavy marketing it is now used to a point where it is on most items we buy, the waterways, etc. etc.
The ingredient glyphosate in it has been labeled a possible human carcinogen by the IARC and the World Health Organization. While the IARC’s testing methods have been scrutinized in the past (imagine all the corporate companies growing wheat and such would have a conflict of interest!), their conclusion, while admitting needing further evidence, was come to based on tests on human, animals, lab cells.
Photo: Gina Lombardo Media, Rings: Aaryah Jewelry
What’s the problem? Why is it bad?
The ingredient in RoundUp, glyphosate:
Probable Carcinogenic [cancer causing].
Also been linked to Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma [a type of cancer that affects your white blood cells].
Creates anti-biotic resistance.
Hormone Disruptor, therefore
Disrupts the Endocrine System.
The EWG is a reliable source, and has tested samples of cereals and oats. They found that some brands had several times more of the amount considered ‘safe’ in the samples! more below.
How is it used
While RoundUp is used as a herbicide (keep in mind that GMO corn and soy is modified to withstand the herbicide, aka they can just spray it liberally over crops), it is also sprayed on wheat, barley, oats and beans that are not GMO. This is done so that the crops die and be harvested earlier - versus letting it die naturally.
What products is it found in?
Granola [with high levels]
Quaker Simply Granola Oats, Honey & Almonds
Back to Nature Classic Granola (2/3 samples had low levels)
Quaker Simply Granola Oats, Honey, Raisins & Almonds
Back to Nature Banana Walnut Granola Clusters
Nature Valley Granola Protein Oats 'n Honey
KIND Vanilla, Blueberry Clusters with Flax Seeds
instant oats [with high levels]
Quaker Instant Oatmeal Cinnamon & Spice
Quaker Instant Oatmeal Apples & Cinnamon
Quaker Real Medleys Super Grains Banana Walnut, Instant Oats
Giant Instant Oatmeal, Original Flavor
Quaker Dinosaur Eggs, Brown Sugar, Instant Oatmeal
Great Value Original Instant Oatmeal
Umpqua Oats, Maple Pecan
Market Pantry Instant Oatmeal, Strawberries & Cream
Overnight Oats [with high levels]
Quaker Overnight Oats Raisin Walnut & Honey Heaven
Quaker Overnight Oats Unsweetened with Chia Seeds
Oat based breakfast cereal [with high levels]
Quaker Oatmeal Squares Brown Sugar
Quaker Oatmeal Squares Honey Nut
Apple Cinnamon Cheerios
Very Berry Cheerios
Chocolate Cheerios
Frosted Cheerios
Fruity Cheerios
Honey Nut Cheerios
Cheerios Oat Crunch Cinnamon
Quaker Chewy S’mores
Cheerios Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal
Lucky Charms Frosted Toasted Oat Cereal with Marshmallows (Marshmallows removed for testing)
Barbara's Multigrain Spoonfuls, Original, Cereal
Kellogg’s Cracklin’ Oat Bran Oat Cereal
Snack bar [with high levels]
Quaker Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
Quaker Breakfast Squares Soft Baked Bars Peanut Butter
Quaker Breakfast Flats Crispy Snack Bars Cranberry Almond
KIND Oats & Honey with Toasted Coconut (had lower levels)
Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars, Oats 'n Honey
Quaker Chewy Chocolate Chip granola bar (samples tested just at the level considered safe)
Kellogg’s Nutrigrain Soft Baked Breakfast Bars, Strawberry (had lower levels)
Whole Oats [with high levels]
Quaker Steel Cut Oats
Quaker Old Fashioned Oats
Bob's Red Mill Steel Cut Oats (1/2 samples had a high level, while the other had none)
Apart from the fact that a lot of these products are relatively unhealthy and high in sugar if you are consuming this, especially kids (!), you want to be careful and opt for alternative options instead! better options listed more below.
Also be mindful that oat milk, oat flour, and other oat based products could be also affected by the above.
How to Deal?
Buy Organic as much as possible.
Avoid Quaker + General Mills, they have insanely high amounts.
Even organic versions can get cross contamination.
Buy the brands/versions listed below.
Spread the word, and let you local grounds and gardeners know not to use RoundUp.
In case this was not obvious, do NOT buy or use RoundUp.
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez
What about organic?
Many organic versions were detected clean, or very low levels (due to cross contamination).
For this very reason, Nature Path has taken the responsibility of not contaminating the environment, organic farms, or the crops, but purchasing 5,500 acres of pristine farmland to safeguard their own organic oat production.
Which brands/versions to stick to
365 Organic Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats, none detected
Nature's Path Organic Old Fashioned Organic Oats, very low levels
Whole Foods Bulk Bin conventional rolled oats, very low levels
Bob's Red Mill Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats, some samples had none or very low levels
Cascadian Farm Organic Harvest Berry, granola bar, none detected
Kashi Heart to Heart Organic Honey Toasted cereal, none detected
Simple Truth Organic Instant Oatmeal, Original, none detected
Nature's Path Organic Honey Almond granola, none detected
What about oat milk?
Photo: Gina Lombardo, Earrings: Alexis Bittar, Midi Ring: Aaryah Jewelry
Stick to Organic Oats in the ingredient list of the milks
Thrive Market Oat Milk
Oataly, (Glyphosate Residue Free certified)
Make your own at home
1 cup of organic rolled oats (soaked for an hour and rinsed) to 3-4 cups of filtered water, blended for a bit, strained (cheese cloth or fine mesh strainer. Up to 4 days in the fridge. Use dates, vanilla, maple syrup to sweeten.
Famous food investigator The Food Babe cites: “Oatly is one brand that isn’t organic, but carries the Glyphosate Residue Free certification by The Detox Project. If you buy the Oatly brand, just make sure to pick up what they call the “low fat” version, because Oatly’s regular oat milk contains added rapeseed (canola) oil and other unnecessary additives. I normally wouldn’t recommend a product labeled as “low fat”, but in this case it simply means they didn’t add unhealthy oil to it.”
