Attor­ney Gen­er­al Pax­ton Takes Legal Action as Part of Sweep­ing Inves­ti­ga­tion into Cor­po­rate Giants, Includ­ing Bay­er, for Poi­son­ing Tex­ans through Glyphosate Con­t­a­m­i­na­tion in Food

Attorney General Ken Paxton has announced his sweeping investigation to tackle the major issue of glyphosate residue in food that puts America’s health and children at risk. This announcement comes after Attorney General Paxton’s office issued Civil Investigative Demands (“CIDs”) to major pesticide and food manufacturers, including Bayer and PepsiCo. 

Glyphosate is the main ingredient in Roundup weed killer. It is a widely-used herbicide that is applied on genetically engineered crops. In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer determined that glyphosate is a probable human carcinogen. Since then, extensive human and animal research has shown that glyphosate contributes to endocrine disruption, infertility, kidney disease, and autoimmune diseases, in addition to its cancer-causing properties. More than 250 million pounds of glyphosate are sprayed in the United States each year. Research has found that over 70 percent of Americans adults have detectable traces of glyphosate in their bodies compared to a mere 12 percent in 1993.

Scientists attribute much of this dramatic increase to the widespread use of glyphosate as a desiccant. Desiccation is the practice of applying herbicides like Roundup to crops shortly before harvest so that they dry down uniformly. This practice contributes to over 90% of the glyphosate found in food, particularly in food products containing oats. Although the EPA prohibits the use of glyphosate as a desiccant on oats in the United States, major food companies source their oats from foreign countries where the practice is allowed. Oats are widely found in cereals, breakfast bars, and cookies, which make children particularly vulnerable to glyphosate’s harms. In fact, studies show that certain food products marketed to children are some of the most glyphosate-contaminated food products in the United States. 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.  

“If any corporation is using regulatory loopholes to poison our kids with glyphosate, we will find out and we will secure justice,” said Attorney General Paxton. “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.”