Glyphosate levels are dropping in oat-based products—from baby foods and whole oats to cereals, snack bars

Although still found in popular cereal brands and oat products, levels of the toxic pesticide glyphosate are going down in oat-based products, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Nonetheless, 30 percent of items still show high amounts. The chemical has been linked to cancer. It may also be associated with lower birth weight and shorter pregnancy, along with risk of metabolic and liver diseases in children.

Glyphosate is used to dry out crops before harvest. Recently, EWG tested 24 samples of 14 non-organic oat-based products; average amounts of detected glyphosate were often much lower than in 2018 and 2019 tests. Previous EWG tests found results above EWG’s health benchmark for glyphosate, 160 parts per billion (ppb) (much lower than the Environmental Protection Agency’s dietary exposure limit). Recent tests revealed concentrations above EWG’s benchmark in under a third of conventional samples. Quaker Oatmeal Squares revealed 3,000 ppb in 2018, and dropped to under 550 ppb, some even as low as 20 ppb.

In 2022, EWG tested baby cereals and found nearly zero glyphosate; nine Gerber oatmeal products showed none. The Department of Agriculture analyzed 695 oat samples for 473 pesticides in 2019, finding very few detections.

Media and public attention have led several companies, including Kellogg’s, to commit to sourcing oats from farmers who don’t use glyphosate. Canadian grain traders are requiring signed agreements that farmers not use certain agrochemicals. However, high levels are still being seen in oat and other crops from northern U.S. states. Farmers lament the lack of regulatory action on restricting these chemicals.

Source: GM Watch

To view source article, visit:

https://gmwatch.org/en/106-news/latest-news/20474-glyphosate-levels-decline-in-oats

Organic & Non-GMO Insights December 2024