Oatmeal has long been recommended as a low-fat, heart-healthy breakfast food. But recently the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been testing U.S. foods for residues of glyphosate, a weed-killing chemical linked to cancer.
Alarmingly, the FDA has found glyphosate residues in a variety of oat and oatmeal products such as oatmeal cereals and plain and flavored instant oatmeal. Some of the products tested were for babies.
Glyphosate is the key ingredient in Round-Up, the most widely used pesticides in the U.S. This herbicide is made by Monsanto, which also produces genetically modified plants and seeds.
The consumer watchdog group “U.S. Right to Know” brought this information to public attention.
U.S. Right to Know is a nonprofit organization that investigates the risks associated with the corporate food system, among other things. Their mission is to build a healthier food system by promoting transparency in corporate food practices. They are spreading the word about these test findings so people know the risks of eating or feeding their family possible carcinogens.
In 2015, the World Health Organization reported that a team of international cancer experts deemed glyphosate to be a likely carcinogen. Other scientists have chimed in about this topic, saying that the heavy use of glyphosate is damaging the environment as well as impacting human health.
Babies are particularly vulnerable because their immune systems are still developing.
And FDA chemist found traces of glyphosate in infant oat cereal, particularly the banana strawberry and banana flavored varieties, according to a recent press release. The herbicide was also detected in the cinnamon spice, maple brown sugar and peach and cream flavors of instant oatmeal brands.
The levels of glyphosate found in oatmeal are not dangerous or harmful if you consume it occasionally, but if oatmeal is a staple breakfast meal that’s eaten every day, even trace amounts of chemicals begin to add up. The same goes for U.S. Honey.
According to the U.S. Right to Know, the FDA also found glyphosate in samples of U.S. honey. Some of the samples showed residue double the legally allowed limit in the European Union.
While honey and oats were tested, they were not the main focus of the FDA study. The FDA began testing the U.S.’s four main food commodities including corn, soy, eggs, and milk. These studies come as both the U.S. and the European Union seriously evaluate the impact of glyphosate on human health after the 2015 report from the World Health Organization.
The four main crops tested by the FDA have not shown glyphosate residue levels that exceed legal tolerance. The FDA study is ongoing and begs the questions: why is there a legal tolerance level of a possible carcinogen?
The environmental protection agency will be holding a four-day meeting in mid-October of 2016 to discuss cancer research pertaining to glyphosate with an advisory panel. The debate centers around whether the team of scientist who declared glyphosate a likely carcinogen was right or wrong?
Despite the politics, it’s good to know what’s in our food and what babies are actually eating. Because we live in a chemically polluted word, the best thing we can do for our bodies and immune systems is clear the detox channels and flush out the hidden toxins in “healthy” food.
The 21-Day Body Makeover is a great way to support the detoxification organs and regularly flush harmful and disease-causing chemicals from the body. Even if you eat a healthy, organic diet, detoxing is crucial for health in today’s world.
An article on the oat findings written by Carey Gillam, research director of U.S. Right to Know, can be found here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ carey-gillam/fda-tests- confirm-oatmeal_b_12252824. html