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Group says weed killer is in your oat-based cereal, but are you really in danger?

Most experts in the field agree saying there's very little evidence that glyphosate causes cancer or any other health problems.

CORRECTION: A previous version of this article listed KIND among products as having "hefty" levels of glyphosate, according to a report by the advocacy organization the Environmental Working Group. The story has been corrected to state KIND does not have glyphosate in its products. The previous version also didn’t make it clear that the Environmental Working Group is an advocacy group and its findings have been challenged by scientists. This has been corrected.

A new study by an advocacy group claims to have discovered “hefty” amounts of a key ingredient of a weed killer in popular oat-based products, but experts say the ingredient is not as dangerous as suggested and parents shouldn’t rush to toss out their children’s cereal.

The report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) suggests large amounts of glyphosate, the key ingredient in the weed-killing pesticide Roundup, present in popular breakfast foods such as cereal, oatmeal and granola. However, the amounts of glyphosate found in the food is far below the allowable limits.

According to an Environmental Protection Agency, glyphosate "is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans." Most experts in the field agree saying there’s very little evidence that glyphosate causes cancer or any other health problems.

The EWG report comes days after a California jury awarded nearly $300 million to a man who claimed Roundup gave him lymphoma.

EWG claims it discovered dangerous doses of glyphosate in 43 of the 45 conventionally grown oats products it tested, 31 of which it claims have unsafe amounts for children. The report claimed to have found glyphosate in products like Cheerios, Lucky Charms, Nature Valley Granola Bars and Quaker's Old Fashioned Oats. General Mills, Quaker’s and Monsanto’s issued statements disputing the report’s findings after its release. (See those statements, as well as EWG’s response, at the bottom of this article).

EWG is not neutral on the issue and it actively campaigns against glyphosate, according to an NBC News investigation published Friday. EWG's recent, alarming report was not published in a peer-reviewed journal, which would have allowed other experts in the field to ask questions before the research was made public, the NBC report states.

RELATED | Weed killer in your cereal? Maybe, but don't panic

The Environmental Protection Agency has said for years that there’s not much evidence that the pesticide can cause cancer in people.

“The draft human health risk assessment concludes that glyphosate is not likely to be carcinogenic to humans,” the EPA said in a 2017 draft risk assessment for glyphosate. “The agency’s assessment found no other meaningful risks to human health when the product is used according to the pesticide label."

A study published in May by a team at the National Cancer Institute found no evidence linking glyphosate with cancer. The team studied nearly 45,000 people who had applied glyphosate as part of their jobs.

“In this large, prospective cohort study, no association was apparent between glyphosate and any solid tumors or lymphoid malignancies overall,” they wrote.

There was some evidence suggesting that people who used glyphosate in their jobs might have a higher rate of acute myeloid leukemia, but the numbers were too low to say for sure and the team said more study of that particular question would be needed.

The EPA and the Food and Drug Administration say they are studying the current guidance for safe levels of glyphosate in food.

Information from NBC News was included in this report.

General Mills statement

"Our products are safe and without question they meet regulatory safety levels. The EPA has researched this issue and has set rules that we follow as do farmers who grow crops including wheat and oats. We continue to work closely with farmers, our suppliers and conservation organizations to minimize the use of pesticides on the crops and ingredients we use in our foods."

Quaker’s statement

"We proudly stand by the safety and quality of our Quaker products. Producing healthy, wholesome food is Quaker's number one priority, and we've been doing that for more than 140 years. Quaker does not addglyphosate 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 (de-hulled, cleaned, roasted and flaked).

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 (EPA) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as safe for human consumption.

Quaker continually evaluates our product portfolio to ensure the highest quality and safety standards for our consumers. While our products comply with all safety and regulatory requirements, we are happy to be part of the discussion and are interested in collaborating with industry peers, regulators and other interested parties onglyphosate."

Monsanto statement

A special interest group called the Environmental Working Group (EWG) is again publicizing misleading information about pesticide residues in food. The EWG is a leader in spreading misinformation about pesticides, vaccines, and other topics. The EWG is perhaps best known for their annual “Dirty Dozen” list, which has been widely criticized and debunked by the science community, farmers, and others (see this report by Huffington Post and this perspective by UC Davis researcher Carl Winter).”

Environmental Working Group’s response to General Mills and Quaker Oats

The Environmental Working Group is disappointed that General Mills and the Quaker Oats Company have brushed aside consumer health concerns raised by new research that found the cancer-causing weed killerglyphosate in Quaker Old Fashioned Oats, Quaker Dinosaur Egg Instant Oatmeal and Cheerios.

The companies claim that the levels of glyphosate remain within the regulatory levels set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Below is a statement from EWG President Ken Cook:

We are deeply disappointed by the tone-deaf response of General Mills and the Quaker Oats Company to the news that EWG research has found a toxic weed killer in their products at levels of concern to human health—especially the health of kids.

Simply stated, there is far too much glyphosate in their products for parents to feel comfortable feeding them to their kids.

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