Cereal + Roundup: It's whats for breakfast

Most people envision their breakfast cereal with just milk added – like pictured below. However, a new study just released documented those bites may be swimming in milk and Roundup (glyphosate).

I have written about both glyphosate and the bad idea of cereal for breakfast (Milk + Cereal Grains: Fattening Pigs and Kids since the last century)previously, so this information supports omitting cereal entirely from the menu – even though it is definitely convenient.

The Study

The Environmental Working Group is a 501(c)(3) who’s work I continually reference, particularly the foods that we must consume organically and those that are fine conventionally. Last month thru their new children’s initiative, released results of common cereals and the amounts of glyphosate they contained, the results are below:

Product Type	Variety	Glyphosate (ppb)
Oat breakfast cereal	Honey Nut Cheerios	147
Oat breakfast cereal	Cheerios Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal	729
Oat breakfast cereal	Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheerios	400
Oat breakfast cereal	Cheerios Oat Crunch Cinnamon	283
Oat breakfast cereal	Honey Nut Cheerios Medley Crunch	833
Oat breakfast cereal	Multi Grain Cheerios	216
Oat breakfast cereal	Nature Valley Baked Oat Bites	389
Granola	Nature Valley Granola Peanut Butter Creamy & Crunchy	198
Granola	Nature Valley Granola Protein Oats n Dark Chocolate	261
Snack or snack bar	Nature Valley Fruit & Nut Chewy Trail Mix Granola Bars, Dark Chocolate & Nut	76
Snack or snack bar	Nature Valley Fruit & Nut Chewy Trail Mix Granola Bars, Dark Chocolate Cherry	275
Snack or snack bar	Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut granola bars, Cashew	158
Snack or snack bar	Nature Valley Crunchy granola bars, Oats and Honey	320
Snack or snack bar	Nature Valley Crunchy granola bars, Peanut Butter	312
Snack or snack bar	Nature Valley Crunchy granola bars, Maple Brown Sugar	566
Snack or snack bar	Nature Valley Soft-Baked Oatmeal Squares, Blueberry	206
Snack or snack bar	Nature Valley Soft-Baked Oatmeal Squares, Cinnamon Brown Sugar	124
Snack or snack bar	Nature Valley Granola Cups, Almond Butter	529
Snack or snack bar	Nature Valley Granola Cups, Peanut Butter Chocolate	297
Snack or snack bar	Nature Valley Biscuits with Almond Butter	194
Snack or snack bar	Fiber One Oatmeal Raisin soft-baked cookies	204

Source: EWG, from tests in May 2019 ¹

Impact

Glyphosate imposes many issues in our bodies. It is an antibiotic, binds minerals necessary for health, potentially mimics glycine (the most abundant amino acid in our body), interferes with important enzymes (cytochromes, ie P450 for drug metabolism), and much more. With its ability to touch on so many systems, it is hard to say exactly what will manifest from consumption of this herbicide. Many have tied cancer (including juries), autism, dysbiosis (altered ratios of good / bad gut bacteria), arthritis/joint health, and more. Do we know what PPB level is ok and what is not? No, but I want mine at the absolute minimum.

Many rightly question studies and the organizations that fund them. Here is a feature of EWG that I like – their primary funding does not come from corporations. Corporations aren’t bad, but if the information we are reviewing is funded by those selling products the products tested, it requires a little more scrutiny.

I would bet some impact will be on a dose-response curve – the more you consume the more problems. Coupled with the knowledge that we can’t get away from all exposure – it is the most widely used agriculture chemical worldwide – I take the approach that I will minimize my exposure at every chance I get.

Take Away

The potential impact is great enough that there has been no breakfast cereal in our house for years. Same with wheat and only occasional organic corn. We also try very hard to buy organic when it is available. My assessment is our efforts here are worth it.