You may want to reconsider making that bowl of Quaker Oats's Dinosaur Eggs instant oatmeal or Lucky Charms as a part of your kid's daily diet.
New research revealed that some of your favorite breakfast bars and cereals have a trace amount of weed-killing poison.
The Environmental Working Group conducted the study and found the herbicide called glyphosate in "all but 2 of the 45 samples of products made with conventionally grown oats."
Three-fourths of the tested samples had glyphosate levels higher than what the EWG considers safe for consumption by children "with an adequate margin of safety."
Glysophate is the active ingredient in Roundup, the widely-used weed killer. And the same chemical has apparently been in your oat meal.
Just last week, a California judge ordered the chemical company Monsanto to pay $289 million in damages to a school grounds keeper with terminal cancer due to his prolonged exposure to large amounts of the pesticide.
According to EWG, government regulators keep information about dietary exposure a big secret.
But in April, nonprofit US Right to Know obtained confidential emails revealing that the Food and Drug Administration had been testing glysophate in foods for two years and found a "fair amount" in several processed foods.
The results have not been made public yet, but could be released by the year's end or in 2019.
More than 250 million pounds of glysophate is sprayed on crops annually in order to kill and dry out crops sooner to facilitate for a quicker harvest.
Still, EWG said the latest study shouldn't deter parents from serving oat-based foods, which are known to be rich in nutrients and fibers for parents and their children.
But the organization also agreed that glysophate does not belong in in the foods families eat and that parents shouldn't have to wonder if they're feeding their kids snacks with cancer-causing agents.
USA Today compiled a list of foods that are potentially harmful and not so harmful for your children.
The oat-based foods that can be harmful to children includes: Quaker Simply Granola Oats, Honey, Raisin and Almonds, Lucky Charms (without marshmallows), Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars, Oats 'n Honey, Quaker Dinosaur Eggs, Brown Sugar, Instant Oatmeal, and Quaker Old Fashioned Oats, among many others.
Foods with relatively "safe" amounts of glysophate includes: Back to Nature Banana Walnut Granola Clusters, KIND Vanilla, Blueberry Clusters with Flax Seeds, Kellogg's Nutrigrain Soft Baked Breakfast Bars, Strawberry, Nature's Path Organic Old Fashioned Organic Oats, and Whole Foods Bulk Bin conventional rolled oats.
EWG is urging parents to contact the Environmental Protection Agency to "restrict pre-harvest applications of glyphosate and tell companies to identify and use sources of glyphosate-free oats."
Suddenly, eggs and fruit seem worth the time and effort for a breakfast that will ensure a full stomach and a peace of mind.
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
@arianagrande/Instagram
@arianagrande/Instagram