That use has prompted two class action lawsuits in California against General Mills and Quaker Oats

Related stories:

• Oat millers recommend not using Manipulator
• Oat producers call chlormequat report fear mongering
• Canadian farmers blamed for ag chemical in U.S. oat foods

One lawsuit, posted on ClassAction.org, alleges that Cheerios contain “dangerous levels” of chlormequat chloride.

“The Cheerios case was filed in California on Feb. 23, three days after Quaker Oats was hit with a lawsuit that alleged a number of its granola, oatmeal and Chewy products contained the same harmful pesticide,” ClassAction. org says.

The lawsuits note that the amount of chlormequat found in oat food is 40 to 100 parts per billion, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a maximum residue level of chlormequat in oats of 40,000 p.p.b. The levels detected in cereal and granola bars is not even close to the MRL.

However, the class action suits are relying on scientists from the Environmental Working Group, who claim that the safe level of chlormequat is 30 p.p.b. per day.

General Mills, in an email to The Western Producer, said its products are safe.

“All our products adhere to all regulatory requirements,” said Mollie Wulff, a spokesperson for General Mills.

“Food safety is always our top priority at General Mills, and we take care to ensure our food is prepared and packaged in the safest way possible.”

Contact robert.arnason@producer.com

Grain Millers and Paterson Grain, which operate oat mills in Yorkton and Winnipeg, say chlormequat has limited agronomic value and might disrupt demand for Canadian oats.

Some farmers in Western Canada use chlormequat, sold under the brand Manipulator, to reduce the height of oat plants and minimize the risk of lodging.

On Feb. 28, Grain Millers sent an email to its oat suppliers, including farmers, asking them to think twice before using Manipulator this year.

“We have seen no agronomic value in the use of Manipulator on oats…. In some cases, it has even been shown to reduce grain yield and quality as well as potentially lengthening maturity,” Grain Millers said.

Lorne Boundy, a merchandiser with Paterson Grain and a farmer in Manitoba, shared a similar message in an interview with The Western Producer.

“It’s efficacy on oats is hit and miss,” Boundy said.

“It works very well on wheat. It works decently on barley. It’s mediocre on oats, at best…. It doesn’t do a lot (for oats).”

A spokesperson for Belchim Crop Protection Canada, which markets and distributes Manipulator, said its efficacy does vary, depending on variety.

“Yes, it is true that there are differences in oat varietal responses to chlormequat. Overall, the product provides a positive benefit when used on oats in terms of helping to maximize yield, preserving quality and improving harvest efficiency,” said Cade Morse.

“Our experience shows that growers use products that provide them with a good return on investment.”

The discussion around the efficacy of Manipulator is connected to a U.S. report on chlormequat, released in mid-February.

An American non-profit, the Environmental Working Group, studied the presence of chlormequat in urine and oat food.

EWG scientists found traces of chlormequat in 77 out of 96 urine samples, or 80 percent of cases.

The urine came from adults in Florida, South Carolina and Missouri.

The high rate of positive tests should raise “alarm bells,” the EWG said, because the “chemical is linked to reproductive and developmental problems in animal studies, suggesting the potential for similar harm to humans.”

The EWG also tested oat-based food that was purchased in May 2023 and the summer of 2022. The researchers tested 25 samples of food made from conventional oats and detected traces of chlormequat 23 times. or 92 percent of samples.

“These findings and chlormequat toxicity data raise concerns about current exposure levels and warrant more expansive toxicity testing, food monitoring and epidemiological studies to assess health effects of chlormequat exposures in humans,” say the authors of the EWG study, published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology

In its report, the EWG says the source of the chlormequat is likely Canadian farms because American growers aren’t allowed to apply the plant growth regulator to cereal crops.

How much chlormequat?

The amount detected in oat foodswas well below the maximum residue level (MRL) for chlormequat.

In conventional oat food purchased in 2022 and 2023, the EWG found:

• A median amount of 114 parts per billion in 2023 and 90 p.p.b .in 2022.
• So, 104 ppb for the 25 samples of oat foods
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has an MRL for chlormequat in oat grains of 40 parts per million and 10 p.p.m. for oat bran.

Put another way, the amount found in oats was 104 p.p.b. and the maximum allowable amount is 40,000 p.p.b. The MRL is 384 times more than the amount detected in oats.

“In my opinion, and POGA’s opinion, is that this is a good news story, if anything,” said Brad Boettger, chair of the Prairie Oat Growers Association and a farmer in Alberta, east of Edmonton.

“The fact that we’re 350 times lower than the maximum allowable, I would characterize it as kind of making a story where there isn’t one.”

Boundy used more direct language.

He described the EWG report as “crap.” However, he acknowledged that public perception of chlormequat in oats “could become an issue.”

The data and evidence may be on the side of Canadian growers, but major media outlets in the United States picked up the EWG study, including CBS News, Forbes, People magazine and USA Today.

“Chemical That May Cause Infertility Found in Cheerios, Quaker Oats … 80% of Americans tested were found to have been exposed to chlormequat,” said an alarming headline from people.com.

If consumers think oats are unsafe because of a Facebook post or something they saw on Instagram, it creates a massive risk for the oat industry.

That’s why Canadian oat growers are being asked, politely, to avoid using Manipulator.

“Grain Millers, Inc. has not prohibited the use of Manipulator on contracted oats but does discourage its use based on the data, the risk of future trade barriers and developing consumer concerns related to this product,” says its email to growers. “It is recommended that growers use careful consideration before using this product.”

Paterson Grain is also taking a subtle approach.

Boundy is encouraging growers to use other tactics to prevent lodging instead of applying chlormequat.

“You shouldn’t be starting your planning … with ‘yes, I’m going to use it (Manipulator),’ ” he said.

“Start with your variety. Pick a good, standing variety, tailor your fertility program to help it stand and go from there.”

Contact robert.arnason@producer.com

Brad Boettger, POGA chair and a farmer from east of Edmonton, said a recent study from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) is fear mongering to raise doubts about the safety of oats.

Canadians and other consumers who are worried about oats should consider who funds the EWG and the group’s agenda, he said.

“They are definitely a pro-organic, activist organization. Anything they can do to demonize conventional products…. We hope these (sort) of hit pieces that come out from (organizations) like the Environmental Working Group don’t push consumers into changing their purchasing decisions out of fear.”

On its website, the EWG says it is not funded by organic farmers or the organic food industry. It claims funding comes from charitable foundations and individual donations.

The “hit piece” that Boettger mentioned is an EWG study on oats and chlormequat, a plant growth regulator marketed as Manipulator.

Some Canadian farmers apply chlormequat to oats and other cereal crops to decrease the height of plants and reduce the risk of lodging.

The EWG study was published mid-February in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology. It looked at the presence of chlormequat in urine and food.

The scientists collected 96 urine samples from 2017-23, and chlormequat was detected in 77 samples, or 80 percent of cases.

The urine came from adults in Florida, South Carolina and Missouri.

The high rate of positive tests should raise “alarm bells,” the EWG said, because the “chemical is linked to reproductive and developmental problems in animal studies, suggesting the potential for similar harm to humans.”

The EWG also tested oat-based food, which was purchased in the summer of 2022 and May 2023. The researchers tested 25 samples of food made from conventional oats and detected traces of chlormequat 23 times, or 92 percent of samples.

“These findings and chlormequat toxicity data raise concerns about current exposure levels and warrant more expansive toxicity testing, food monitoring and epidemiological studies to assess health effects of chlormequat exposures in humans,” say the authors of the EWG study.

In its report, the EWG says the source of the chlormequat is likely Canadian farms because American growers aren’t allowed to apply the plant growth regulator to cereal crops.

The EWG study caught Canada’s oat industry off guard.

Oat buyers and companies that market oat food in North America haven’t raised the issue of chlormequat residues, Boettger said.

“As far as we’ve known, it’s never been a concern for the end users (of oats).”

How much chlormequat in oats?

The EWG purchased oat food made from conventional oats in 2022 and 2023.

Testing found residues were well below the Maximum Residue Level for oats:

• A median amount of 114 parts per billion in 2023 and 90 p.p.b. in 2022
• So, 104 p.p.b. for the 25 samples of oat food
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has a maximum residue limit (MRL) for chlormequat in oat grains of 40 parts per million. For oat bran, the MRL is 10 parts per million

It’s hard to comprehend parts per billion. One way to think about it is one p.p.b. is equal to one sheet of toilet paper in a roll that stretches from New York to London.

The EWG study detected 104 p.p.b. in oat food. That is 384 times smaller than the maximum residue level of 40,000 p.p.b.

Another way of explaining the difference between 40 p.p.m. and 0.104 p.p.m. is daily consumption of eggs.

Eating one egg per day is not a problem, but eating 384 eggs in a day would be extremely hazardous to your health.

“In my opinion, and POGA’s opinion, is that this is a good news story, if anything,” Boettger said.

“The fact that we’re 350 times lower than the maximum allowable. I would characterize it as kind of making a story where there isn’t one.”

There isn’t official data, but POGA estimates 10 to 20 percent of oat growers in Canada apply Manipulator to the crop.

Boettger has never applied it to his oats.

Some growers use it to prevent lodging.

“It’s more of a concern in the deep, black soils, where they get more rains,” Boettger said.

“The growers that get on the high end of vegetative growth and higher end yields … there is more chance of it lodging.”

It’s possible that the EWG report is connected to a pending EPA decision, in which it may approve chlormequat for use in America, Boettger added.

“It kind of seems like the Environmental Working Group might be trying to persuade public opinion prior to the EPA coming out with a ruling.”

The EWG has its reasons for studying oats and chlormequat, but reports on agricultural chemical residues in food do generate a great deal of attention.

Major news outlets in the U.S., such as the New York Post, Fox Business News and Newsweek, picked up the EWG report and wrote headlines such as, “Pesticide found in oats linked to infertility.”

As well, following the publication of a story on The Western Producer website, worried readers asked if it’s safe to eat oatmeal and oat cereals.

Looking ahead to this growing season, oat growers should talk to their buyers about chlormequat, Boettger said. However, he also emphasized that it is a registered and legal product for use in Canada, so growers can apply it to their oats.

“It’s been approved. It’s gone through rigorous scientific reviews through Health Canada.”

As for consumers, they should feel very confident that oats grown on Canadian farms are safe, he added.

“They can truly go to the grocery store … and (purchase) safe, healthy and nutritious products that we produce right here in Canada by great growers. If they have any concerns, find a local farmer and ask (the grower) how (the) food is produced.”

Contact robert.arnason@producer.com

Late last week the Environmental Working Group (EWG) released a study on oats and chlormequat, a plant growth regulator marketed as Manipulator.

Farmers apply chlormequat to oats and cereal crops to decrease the height of plants and reduce the risk of lodging.

The EWG study, published Feb. 15 in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, looked at the presence of chlormequat in urine and foods.

The scientists collected 96 urine samples from 2017-23, and chlormequat was detected in 77 samples, or 80 percent of cases.

The urine came from adults in Florida, South Carolina and Missouri.

The high rate of positive tests should raise “alarm bells,” the EWG said in a news release, because the “chemical is linked to reproductive and developmental problems in animal studies, suggesting the potential for similar harm to humans.”

The EWG also tested oat-based foods purchased in May 2023 and the summer of 2022.

Researchers tested 25 samples of food made from conventional oats and detected traces of chlormequat 23 times, or 92 percent of samples.

They also looked at food made from organic oats.

In those 17 samples, they detected chlormequat three times.

“These findings and chlormequat toxicity data raise concerns about current exposure levels, and warrant more expansive toxicity testing, food monitoring, and epidemiological studies to assess health effects of chlormequat exposures in humans,” say the authors of the EWG study.

Major media outlets in the United States picked up the EWG news release on the study, including CBS News, Forbes, People magazine and USA Today.

“Chemical That May Cause Infertility Found in Cheerios, Quaker Oats … 80% of Americans tested were found to have been exposed to chlormequat,” said an alarming headline from people.com.

General Mills, the maker of Cheerios, provided a statement to USA Today, saying that all of its products “adhere to regulatory requirements” and that “food safety is always a top priority at General Mills.”

Much of the media coverage didn’t mention the amounts of chlormequat detected in the EWG study and how that compares to the maximum residue level for chlormequat in oats.

In conventional oat-foods purchased in 2022 and 2023:

• The EWG found a median amount of 114 parts per billion in 2023 and 90 p.p.b. in 2022, which means 104 p.p.b. for the 25 samples of oat foods.
• The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has an MRL for chlormequat in oats of 40 parts per million. For oat bran, the MRL is 10 parts per million

It’s hard to comprehend parts per billion. One way to think about it, is one ppb is equal to one sheet of toilet paper, in a roll that stretches from New York to London.

In the EWG study, they detected 104 parts per billion in oat foods. That is 384 times smaller than the maximum residue level of 40,000 ppb.

Another way of explaining the difference between 40 p.p.m. and 0.104 p.p.m., is daily consumption of eggs.

Eating one egg per day is not a problem. But eating 384 eggs in a day would be extremely hazardous to your health.

The amount of chlormequat in the urine samples was also much lower than the safe level of exposure, as defined by the EPA.

The Environmental Working Group acknowledged that reality in the journal article

“Current chlormequat concentrations in urine from this study … suggest that individual sample donors were exposed to chlormequat at levels several orders of magnitude below the reference dose published by the U.S. EPA (0.05 mg/kg bw (body weight)/day) and the acceptable daily intake value published by the European Food Safety Authority (0.04 mg/kg bw/day).”

The amount of chlormequat found in urine and oat foods may be very low, but public perception is reality when it comes to pesticides.

Headlines from the New York Post, Fox Business News and Newsweek, saying “pesticide found in oats linked to infertility,” is a massive public relations problem for the oat industry.

As well, the Environmental Working Group says Canadian farmers are the cause of chlormequat residues in oats.

In 2018, the EPA established an MRL for chlormequat, which allowed Canadian farmers to use the product. Then, the EPA increased the MRL in 2020 to 40 p.p.m.

That aligns with the Canadian MRL for oats, which is also 40 p.p.m.

However, U.S. growers are not permitted to use Manipulator on oats or other food crops. Therefore, the source of the chlormequat in oat foods must be Canadian farms, the Environmental Working Group says.

“Environmental Protection Agency regulations allow the chemical to be used on ornamental plants only – not food crops – grown in the U.S. But its use is permitted on imported oats and other foods sold here. Many oats and oat products consumed in the U.S. come from Canada.”

Contact robert.arnason@producer.com