Quaker Oats is being sued for $5 million despite its claim of being 100% natural. The lawsuit was filed in Federal District Courts in New York and California by Lewis Dalyn stating that the company is promoting false advertisement which is also deceptive and misleading.
The filing of case rooted from the traces of pesticide glyphosate found in some oatmeal. It is a well-known substance in the famous weed killer Roundup, The New York Times reported.
Quaker Oats which is owned by PepsiCo stated on its website that the oats being used in its products are planted and harvested in an environmentally responsible method. "Since oats require less herbicide spray than many other grains, there is less risk of pollutants and groundwater contamination," it says.
According to Daly, glyphosate which is a carcinogenic substance is used to grow oats and during harvest is sprayed on them. It is a kind of herbicide WHO publicized as 'probably carcinogenic to humans' in 2015. It has been associated to a number of cancer cases including bladder, breast, kidney, liver, myeloid leukemia, pancreas and thyroid, based on the Mail Online news.
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in the Roundup herbicide developed in 1974 by Monsanto. Accelerating scientific studies blame glyphosate residues being common in the environment, increasing fears it could also be present in foods. This chemical and its similar are known to be disrupters of human endocrines.
As reported by The Sun, the health benefits of oatmeal are numerous, where one is stabilizing the blood sugar levels. It helps prevent the development of Type2 diabetes while lowering the cholesterol level and battling depression by helping the brain produces serotonin curbing the appetite and giving a feeling of happy thoughts.
In response to the lawsuit filed against the company, Quaker Oats responded by saying they did not add glyphosate while milling the grains but could be possibly applied by the farmers to certain grains before harvesting it.
