Texas has launched an investigation into the potential presence of the glyphosate chemical in food.
Oats were identified as the possible culprit in the “sweeping investigation” launched by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, whose office has issued so-called civil investigative demands to “major pesticide and food manufacturers”.
The attorney general and his team claim that while the Environmental Protection Agency (ETA) bans the use of glyphosate, commonly used in weed killer, as a “desiccant” on oats in the US, “major food companies source their oats from foreign countries where the practice is allowed”.
Paxton said in a statement: “If any corporation is using regulatory loopholes to poison our kids with glyphosate, we will find out and we will secure justice.
“My office is also investigating whether major food companies are complying with Texas law and whether consumers, especially parents, have been misled about the health claims of common food products marketed to their families. No corporation is above the law, and no illegal action will go unpunished.”
Texas identified cereals, breakfast bars and cookies as common food products containing oats, which the attorney general added “make children particularly vulnerable to glyphosate’s harms”.
The state alleged in the statement: “Other products are marketed as ‘healthy’ when manufacturers know their products are contaminated with dangerously high levels of glyphosate.
“Research further indicates that children between the ages of one- and two-years-old have the highest dietary exposure to glyphosate of any population.”
Paxton did not provide a full list of the food companies included in the probe but did name PepsiCo in its statement.
Just Food has approached the food and beverage giant for comment.
According to the statement, glyphosate is widely used in weed killer (herbicide) in genetically engineered crops and was named by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as a “probable human carcinogen” in 2015.
Studies since have identified other health ailments from glyphosate as infertility, kidney disease and autoimmune diseases.
“More than 250 million pounds of glyphosate are sprayed in the United States each year. Research has found that over 70% of American adults have detectable traces of glyphosate in their bodies compared to a mere 12% in 1993,” the statement read.
