Is your cereal contaminated with the toxic herbicide glyphosate? There’s more news about that possibility if you are eating food produced from General Mills. This week the Environmental Working Group dropped another bombshell report–testing 21 cereals from General Mills and finding the herbicide glyphosate in each sample. So what is a mom to do when the cereal you ate as a child is contaminated with glyphosate? You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you topics like safest cookware, best chips & salsas, & safest sunscreens, now join us as we bring to you 8 bowls of cereal, granola & oatmeal not contaminated with glyphosate like Cheerios.
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Monsanto Faces Thousands of Roundup Cancer Lawsuits After $2 Billion in Verdicts And Now This Chemical Is Showing Up in Cereals
Over $2 BILLION was awarded to three different plaintiffs who sued Bayer-Monsanto for knowing the risks of spraying the weed killer glyphosate decades ago, manipulating the federal process to get their chemical approved, and then going to extraordinary lengths to cover it up. These awards have been extraordinarily high because the jury felt that the crimes were heinous enough to prompt a stern financial punishment. All three plaintiffs are suffering from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (or hodgkin’s lymphoma) which was caused by being exposed to the spraying of glyphosate.
In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, a part of the World Health Organization, has classified glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen. Then in 2017, glyphosate was classified as a carcinogen by California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment and put on their Prop. 65 list.
Now, glyphosate is starting to show up in cereals containing ingredients of oats, wheat, and legumes like pea protein. Over 13,000 additional cases are yet to be tried and experts are saying this liability could cause the bankruptcy of Bayer-Monsanto.
Desiccation of Weedkiller Glyphosate on Oats, Wheat & Legumes Is Causing High Levels of Glyphosate in Food
The practice of desiccation is an affront to public health because it increases exposure to a dangerous pesticide. Desiccation is where the farmer dries out his field before harvest by spraying the crops with glyphosate, leaving more glyphosate residue in the crop, thus making it a harvest desiccant. This is believed to be one of the reasons why non-gmo processed food containing wheat, granola oats & legumes consistently have higher levels of glyphosate. It increases the amount of glyphosate on the plant, and by the time the consumer eats, it’s still present in higher amounts.
When seeing rates of glyphosate spike in the United States by farmers, instead of curbing this dangerous practice, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allowed Big Ag companies to spray 300 times more glyphosate on oats and other grains compared to what was legal in 1993. Now you are seeing this reflected in your bowl of cereal as higher glyphosate levels and it could be a problem for children’s health.
Environmental Working Group Tests 21 Boxes of General Mills Cereals & Granola and Finds Glyphosate
The Environmental Working Group (EWG) dropped another report after testing cereals for glyphosate. Every box of cereal and granola tested positive for detectable levels of glyphosate. According to the scientists at EWG, anything above the health benchmark of 160 ppb would be problematic to pregnant women and children. At least 17 out of 21 products tested were above the health benchmark meaning it’s not recommended for pregnant women or children. Here were the results of the testing:
- Honey Nut Cheerios–147 parts per billion (ppb)
- Cheerios Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal–729 parts per billion (ppb)
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheerios–400 parts per billion (ppb)
- Cheerios Oat Crunch Cinnamon–283 parts per billion (ppb)
- Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch–833 parts per billion (ppb)
- Multi-Grain Cheerios–216 parts per billion (ppb)
- Nature Valley Baked Oat Bites–389 parts per billion (ppb)
- Nature Valley Granola Peanut Butter Creamy & Crunchy–198 parts per billion (ppb)
- Nature Valley Granola Protein Oats n Dark Chocolate–261 parts per billion (ppb)
- Nature Valley Fruit & Nut Chewy Trail Mix Granola Bars, Dark Chocolate & Nut–76 parts per billion (ppb)
- Nature Valley Fruit & Nut Chewy Trail Mix Granola Bars, Dark Chocolate Cherry–275 parts per billion (ppb)
- Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut granola bars, Cashew–158 parts per billion (ppb)
- Nature Valley Crunchy granola bars, Oats and Honey–320 parts per billion (ppb)
- Nature Valley Crunchy granola bars, Peanut Butter–312 parts per billion (ppb)
- Nature Valley Crunchy granola bars, Maple Brown Sugar–566 parts per billion (ppb)
- Nature Valley Soft-Baked Oatmeal Squares, Blueberry–206 parts per billion (ppb)
- Nature Valley Soft-Baked Oatmeal Squares, Cinnamon Brown Sugar–124 parts per billion (ppb)
- Nature Valley Granola Cups, Almond Butter–529 parts per billion (ppb)
- Nature Valley Granola Cups, Peanut Butter Chocolate–297 parts per billion (ppb)
- Nature Valley Biscuits with Almond Butter–194 parts per billion (ppb)
- Fiber One Oatmeal Raisin soft-baked cookies–204 parts per billion (ppb)
Mamavation’s Recommendation for Cereals, Granola & Oatmeal
We understand this is frustrating. Navigating the food industry to avoid glyphosate is very complicated right now.
Both organic and non-organic brands have been testing positive for glyphosate. To best evaluate glyphosate residue we have the Detox Project, which is an organization that certifies brands “Glyphosate Residue Free” with lab testing 3x per year. The Detox Project has a list of brands that have certified and we have added the relevant brands to this list. Brands on this list we would recommend.
Another good resource is and Cornucopia’s list of cereal brands that best respect organic principles. These specific farms at the very top source 100% organic only so they would have less of a risk of contamination.
Here is a list of our top 8 recommendations for cereal, granola & oatmeal.
Zego Oatmeal & Muesli
Shares glyphosate lab results with the public. Typically has non-detect levels.
- Zego Organic Exceptional Oats Original Oatmeal
- Zego Organic Apple & Cranberry Muesli
- Zego Organic Cinnamon Twist Muesli
Grandy Oats Granola
“Glyphosate Residue Free” certified by the Detox Project and made Cornucopia’s list of cereal brands.
- Grandy Oats Organic Coconola Original Granola
- Grandy Oats Organic Coconola Mega Hemp Granola
- Grandy Oats Organic Chocolate Chunk Coconola Granola
- Grandy Oats Organic Coffee Crunch Coconola Granola
Natures Path
Made Cornucopia’s list of cereal brands.
- Nature’s Path Organic Whole O’s
- Nature’s Path Organic Honey Peanut Butter Crunch Cereal
- Nature’s Path Organic Sunrise Crunchy Vanilla Cereal
- Nature’s Path Organic Love Crunch Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter
Cascadian Farm
Made Cornucopia’s list of cereal brands.
- Cascadian Farm Organic Cinnamon Crunch Cereal
- Cascadian Farm Organic Fruitful O’s Cereal
- Cascadian Farm Organic Oats & Honey Cereal
- Cascadian Farm Organic French Vanilla Almond
Read more about a more recent consumer study released in 2022 on bread, oats, legumes, protein powder, bars here. There were some organic old-fashioned rolled oats that had detectable levels of glyphosate, but in lower amounts as conventional food products. Sadly, this is still completely legal according to the FDA.
Ambrosial Greek Granola
Made Cornucopia’s list of cereal brands.
Go Raw Granola
Made Cornucopia’s list of cereal brands.
- Go Raw Sprouted Raisin Organic Granola
- Go Raw Sprouted Organic Superfood Flax Snax
- Go Raw Apple Cinnamon Organic Granola
- Go Raw Organic Gluten Free Chocolate Granola
One Degree Organic
Made Cornucopia’s list of cereal brands.
- One Degree Organic Brown Rice Cocoa Crisps Cereal
- One Degree Organic Sprouted Vanilla Chia Granola
- One Degree Organic Sprouted Oat Honey O’s Cereal
Farm to Table Oatmeal
Made Cornucopia’s list of cereal brands.
Organic Beef Is More Nutritious Than Regular Beef Study Finds