Toxic Cheerios? What the what? This beloved American brand, given to babies and children for decades now, is laden with glyphosate. In 2016 I read an article online that cited a joint study by Food Democracy Now! and the Detox Project, and the fact that Cheerios had the highest parts per billion of all the products tested, including other beloved foods given regularly to children, such as Goldfish and Cheez Its.
I am the mother of two boys, Jasper Jon and Zephyr Jefferson, ages 15 and 13. My youngest boy, Zephyr, ate Cheerios from the time he could eat until he was about 7 or 8 years old. For all those years, he suffered from what I would term a “compromised gut”, meaning he had an upset stomach often, complaining of stomach aches and loose stools weekly. All those years I thought this was just how it is for Zephyr, that this was his constitution. What I now know is that Zephyr was eating Cheerios almost everyday. It was his favorite cereal. Day by day, Zephyr was experiencing the toxic effects of glyphosate, a cancer causing herbicide that is the main ingredient in Roundup and is used routinely on oats, wheat, legumes, vegetables, fruit and nut crops here in the United States, Canad and the EU.
At first I was very sad to take away my son’s beloved food. Then that sadness turned to anger and outrage as I reflected on how many babies and children are eating Cheerios everyday, let alone adults. As time has gone on and I have researched the seriously detrimental effects of glyphosate on the human body, (let alone our pets, pollinators and other wildlife) including cancer and severe gut dysbiosis.
As a woman who knows and works with many, many other mothers, it’s time for us mothers to rise up and take action. General Mills net worth is around $15.620 billion. Everyday they are profiting from giving toxic food to our children. Honey Nut Cheerios is the best-selling cereal in the country, selling more than $656 million worth in 2018. If you would like to join a letter writing campaign to the head of General Mills, here’s a sample letter. This, of course is my personal story. Feel free to use this or personalize it with your own family’s story or what you have learned and read about online.
Jeff Harmening, President and CEO
9005 Whipple AVE,
Pasco, WA 99301
January 23, 2020
Dear Mr. Harmening,
I am writing you today because of what I have learned over the years about the herbicide Glyphosate on your product Cheerios and how it has impacted my family. I am the mother of two boys, Jasper Jon and Zephyr Jefferson, ages 15 and 13. My youngest boy, Zephyr, ate your product from the time he could eat until he was about 7 or 8 years old. For all those years, he suffered from what I would term a “compromised gut”, meaning he had an upset stomach often, complaining of stomach aches and loose stools weekly. All those years I thought this was just how it is for Zephyr, that this was his constitution. What I now know is that Zephyr was eating Cheerios almost everyday. It was his favorite cereal. When I read an article online about the fact that Cheerios had the highest parts per billion of all the products tested in 2016 by a joint study by Food Democracy Now! and the Detox Project, I made the connection between your product and my son’s health and sadly, Cheerios left our pantry forever.
Are you aware of this study? Click for link.
Are you, as a corporation, taking any steps to alter the use of Glyphosate on your product?
At first I was very sad to take away my son’s beloved food. Then that sadness turned to anger as I reflected on how many babies and children are eating Cheerios everyday, let alone adults. As time has gone on and I have researched the seriously detrimental effects of glyphosate on the body, including cancer and severe gut dysbiosis, and as a woman who knows and works with many, many other mothers, and knowing the popularity of your product among mothers of new babies, and how many give your product to children as one of their first foods, I feel that you, at the most, have a direct responsibility to halt the use of Glyphosate on your product, and at the very least, could offer an organic version of your product that is certified “Glyphosate Free”. Are you aware of this label?
You will be hearing from my friends, as we are a part of the Million Mom Movement, a movement that is dedicated to helping mothers, fathers and caregivers create cleaner and greener, non GMO and organic pantries and kitchens. We don’t want to boycott your product, feeling that opening a dialogue with you is a more progressive and positive way of rectifying this egregious biological assault on America’s children and families. We are certain that once you know better, you will do better.
Thank you for taking the time to consider my request. I hope to hear from you at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Dawn
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