Although we can probably all agree that cereals targeted to children aren’t an optimal breakfast, they may be way worse than you even realize. A study highlights that many popular children’s cereals note that there are more parts per million of weed killer Glyphosate than there are various vitamins. Find out more below.

Weed Killer in Your Children’s Cereal

Laboratory tests commissioned by the Environmental Working Group on morning cereals, granola, oats, and snack bars highlighted that many of these breakfast foods contained more glyphosate than essential vitamins and minerals.^[1] The quantities varied from cereal to cereal, but all samples tested positive for this toxic weed killer Glyphosate known by the company Monsanto known as Roundup.

Popular Honey Nut Cheerios by General Mills had more glyphosate than Vitamin D and B12. Likewise, in a sample of Quaker Oatmeal Squares, there was more glyphosate than Vitamin A.1 For the full list of products you should avoid due to glyphosate contamination, check out the Naughty List down below.

The Dangers of Glyphosate

Although companies have tried to keep the dangers of glyphosate hidden for a long time, the cat is finally out of the bag.^[2] Studies have linked this toxic herbicide to various health concerns, including various gut problems (like IBS), autoimmune responses, and cancer.^[3]

Roundup is the most popular and profitable weed killer ever sold. Glyphosate is the active ingredient found inside this dangerous chemical.2 The problem with glyphosate permeates the entire food industry because it has been used in high quantities to treat weeds and grow and process GMO foods and grains like wheat and soy. As a result, large parts of America and the world are tainted by this poison. Even for those who eat completely organic, living in the United States and not being exposed to glyphosate through your food is nearly impossible.^[4]

Many may think glyphosate isn’t a real issue since it’s measured in “parts per billion.” Although they are microscopic, even these tiny amounts can wreak your health. Out of 28 samples, all 28 non-organic kinds of cereal tested for glyphosate reside, and 26 contained levels above the EWG’s health benchmark.^[4,5,6]

Going organic is a good start, but avoiding the worst offenders from the naughty list is non-negotiable. So whether or not you’ve gone organic, implementing detoxification methods to support your body in eliminating this toxic pesticide is always a good idea.

The Naughty List 

• Quaker Simply Granola Oats, Honey & Almonds
• Quaker Instant Oatmeal Cinnamon & Spice
• Quaker Instant Oatmeal Apples & Cinnamon
• Quaker Real Medleys Super Grains Banana Walnut
• Quaker Overnight Oats Raisin Walnut & Honey Heaven
• Quaker Overnight Oats Unsweetened with Chia Seeds
• Quaker Oatmeal Squares Brown Sugar
• Quaker Oatmeal Squares Honey Nut
• Multi-Grain Cheerios
• Apple Cinnamon Cheerios
• Very Berry Cheerios
• Chocolate Cheerios
• Frosted Cheerios
• Fruity Cheerios
• Honey Nut Cheerios
• Cheerios Oat Crunch Cinnamon
• Quaker Chewy S’mores
• Quaker Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip
• Quaker Breakfast Squares Soft Baked Bars Peanut Butter
• Quaker Breakfast Flats Crispy Snack Bars Cranberry Almond
• Nature Valley Baked Oat Bites
• Nature Valley Granola Peanut Butter Creamy & Crunchy
• Nature Valley Granola Protein Oats n Dark Chocolate
• Nature Valley Fruit & Nut Chewy Trail Mix Granola Bars, Dark Chocolate & Nut
• Nature Valley Fruit & Nut Chewy Trail Mix Granola Bars, Dark Chocolate Cherry
• Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut granola bars, Cashew
• Nature Valley Crunchy granola bars, Oats, and Honey
• Nature Valley Crunchy granola bars, Peanut Butter
• Nature Valley Crunchy granola bars, Maple Brown Sugar
• Nature Valley Soft-Baked Oatmeal Squares, Cinnamon Brown Sugar
• Nature Valley Soft-Baked Oatmeal Squares, Blueberry
• Nature Valley Granola Cups, Peanut Butter Chocolate
• Nature Valley Granola Cups, Almond Butter
• Nature Valley Biscuits with Almond Butter
• Fiber One Oatmeal Raisin soft-baked cookies

The Good List

• Kashi by Kids Organic Berry Crumble Cereal
• Nature's Path Organic Corn Puffs Gorilla Munch Cereal
• Annie's Organic Cereal, Cocoa Bunnies
• Go Raw Organic Superfood Sprouted Granola
• Barbara's Bakery Organic Honest O's Cereal
• GrandyOats Organic Grain-Free Coconola
• Lovebird Organic O’s Cereal 
• Love Crunch Organic Granola
• Forager Project Chocolate Organic Grain Free Os Toasted Cassava Cereal With Plant Protein, Chocolate
• Kashi Cinnamon Harvest Organic Cereal, Cinnamon Harvest
• Nature's Path Organic Almond Nut Butter Crunch Cereal, Almond Nut Butter

Detox from Glyphosate

The scary reality is that, organic or not, glyphosate makes its way into many of our packaged food products because of how rampant it is in the environment. Glyphosate makes its way into tap water, which is then used to irrigate (and contaminate) food crops. These days it’s even found in the rain and women’s breast milk… so what to do?

As adults in the modern world, there is essentially no escaping the stuff, so we support the body’s detoxification pathways. In the case of past exposure to glyphosate, CytoDetox® is a potent liposomal zeolite clinoptilolite with fulvates that supports the removal of environmental toxins like heavy metals, chemicals, pesticides, and biotoxins at the cellular level, safely and 100% naturally.^[7]

When you’re unsure about the quality of your food or are making an exception to your regular mindful eating, TrueCarbonCleanse™ Gut Detoxifier is a supplement you can use to buffer the impact of toxins. This binder contains activated carbon, powerful humates (humic and fulvic acids), Cleanoptilite™️ (clinoptilolite - zeolite crystals), and other gut detoxifiers that can attach to and eliminate toxins.^[8]

Summary

Conventional store-bought non-organic cereals have got to go. Large samples found weed killer glyphosate in all samples, most over the safety limit set by the Environmental Working Group. Going organic is a great start, and after that, supporting the body’s natural detoxification pathways and using binding agents like zeolite and activated charcoal.

1. “Roundup for Breakfast, Part 2: In New Tests, Weed Killer Found in All Kids' Cereals Sampled.” Environmental Working Group, 14 Feb. 2023, www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2018/10/roundup-breakfast-part-2-new-tests-weed-killer-found-all-kids. 
2. Gaines, Mari. “Roundup Lawsuit Update February 2023.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 10 Oct. 2022, www.forbes.com/advisor/legal/product-liability/roundup-lawsuit-update/. 
3. World Health Organization, World Health Organization, www.iarc.who.int/featured-news/media-centre-iarc-news-glyphosate/.
4. Prince, Jenny. “The USDA Gives in: Evidence of Glyphosate in Organic.” Real Organic Project, 5 Dec. 2019, www.realorganicproject.org/the-usda-gives-in-evidence-of-glyphosate-in-organic/. 
5. “How Does EWG Set a 'Health Benchmark' for Glyphosate Exposure?” Environmental Working Group, 14 Feb. 2023, www.ewg.org/news-insights/news/how-does-ewg-set-health-benchmark-glyphosate-exposure.
6. Complete Results of EWG’s 2018 Glyphosate Tests. www.ewg.org/sites/default/files/u352/EWG_Glyphosate-2_Table_Full_C02.pdf. 
7. Mastinu, Andrea, et al. “Zeolite Clinoptilolite: Therapeutic Virtues of an Ancient Mineral.” Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 24,8 1517. 17 Apr. 2019, doi:10.3390/molecules24081517
8. “Activated Charcoal.” Activated Charcoal, www.poison.org/articles/activated-charcoal.