We honestly didn’t see this one coming.
After seeing glyphosate show up in honey, cereals, and Weet-Bix, we assumed oats would probably be similar. Maybe lower. Maybe higher. But not clean. That just felt like the likely direction things were heading.
So we began with three different oat products — and one granola — because that’s all the initial funding covered. Then someone suggested we really should test Harraways’ imported organic oats as well, because Harraways have spoken publicly in the past about contracting growers who don’t use glyphosate. More funding came in specifically for that — which allowed us to add two extra Harraways products to the testing batch.
That’s the part we really love about this project: people aren’t just watching this from the sidelines. They’re participating. They’re steering what gets tested next. And sometimes they’re literally funding the next step.
When the results came in, we were surprised — so we asked the lab to double-check the findings, just to be sure.
These six oat products came back as non-detect for glyphosate at 0.010 mg/kg.
We were pleasantly surprised.
Not because we want to find contamination — but because we want to find truth. Whatever direction the data leads, we will follow it.
For oats, this is good news.
And it’s reassuring for consumers to see that some food products can — and do — come back clean when tested independently using modern, sensitive detection methods.
Glyphosate Results
When the confirmed lab reports came back, the outcome was a genuine (and pleasant) surprise. We didn’t expect oats to come back completely clean — not after what we’ve seen in cereals, honey, and Weet-Bix.
But all six products tested returned no detectable glyphosate above 0.010 mg/kg. These were tested at the same strict reporting sensitivity level we’ve used across our other staple food tests, meaning this comparison is valid and consistent.
| Oats Product | Glyphosate Level |
|---|---|
| Harraways Rolled Oats Batch BA10I BB 10/08/26 | < 0.010 mg/kg |
| Woolworths Australian Rolled Oats BB 30/06/2026 L2 16:35 Reg No 2079 | < 0.010 mg/kg |
| Uncle Tobys Quick Sachets Original Batch 513836070 09:13 BB 17/11/2026 | < 0.010 mg/kg |
| Hubbards Granola Blueberry & Seeds Batch 208 BB11/08/2026 | < 0.010 mg/kg |
| Harraways Organic Wholegrain Oats (Imported & Packed) Batch BH07A 07/08/2026 | < 0.010 mg/kg |
| Harraways Organic Rolled Oats (Imported & Packed) Batch BG090 BB 09/07/2026 | < 0.010 mg/kg |
Other Herbicides
The lab also tested for AMPA — the main breakdown product of glyphosate — and glufosinate, which is a separate herbicide. No measurable amounts of either compound were detected above their respective reporting thresholds. AMPA was reported down to 0.05 mg/kg, and glufosinate was reported down to 0.006 mg/kg. This means that if these compounds are present in these oat products, they are below the level that can be quantified using the method and confidence intervals applied in this test.
What This Means — and What It Doesn’t
This does not mean that all oats in New Zealand are glyphosate-free.
It simply means these specific batches were.
Different crops. Different seasons. Different growing regions. Different spray regimes. All of these can influence results. One grower might not use glyphosate at harvest. Another might. Weather can change things too. Decisions at the grain buyer level can vary from year to year.
But this is a reminder that independent testing matters.
Because without it, the public wouldn’t know which foods are carrying residues — and which aren’t.
And it shows something very important:
Not every result will be alarming.
Some will reassure.
And this one does.
Support the Next Round of Testing
If you like what we’re doing, you can support the next round of testing right here. Every cent goes toward laboratory costs — not our website, not the product purchase, not the courier — just the testing itself.
A Look Back at What We’ve Tested So Far
Before we close, here’s a quick snapshot of the food testing we’ve carried out over the past six months. These are the tests that helped build public awareness, fuel media interest, and show New Zealanders what glyphosate residue actually looks like in the real world — not in theory. Each link below takes you to the full breakdown, including lab reports and commentary.
Weet-Bix Glyphosate Test Results
Our first high-impact mainstream breakfast test — the kind of product most Kiwi households buy every week.
https://nomoreglyphosate.nz/weet-bix-glyphosate-test-results/
Breakfast Cereals — Round One Results
A range of common supermarket cereals tested — showing what’s really ending up in the bowl.
https://nomoreglyphosate.nz/glyphosate-in-breakfast-foods/
Honey Testing — Batch One
Our very first test — the one that started our food testing journey.
https://nomoreglyphosate.nz/glyphosate-in-nz-honey-first-test-results/
Honey Testing — Batch Two
Four more honeys from across different regions — continuing to map residues in NZ honey.
https://nomoreglyphosate.nz/glyphosate-in-honey-test-2/
Honey Testing — Batch Three
Another set of retail honey samples — revealing variability in batches and brands.
https://nomoreglyphosate.nz/glyphosate-honey-test-results-batch-3/
Honey Testing — Batch Four
Our fourth honey round — reinforcing why product-by-product transparency matters.
https://nomoreglyphosate.nz/glyphosate-honey-test-results-batch-4/
Supermarket Bread — Glyphosate Testing
The staple nearly every home buys weekly — and a key part of our glyphosate-in-bread investigation.
https://nomoreglyphosate.nz/september-2025-bread-glyphosate-test-results/
Each of these test rounds added another piece to the picture — and another reason to keep going. Independent testing has value because it cuts through assumptions and replaces them with data. These are the results that shaped the momentum — and they are only the beginning.
You can support the next round of testing right here.
Image Source & Attribution
We created the feature image on this page in Canva.
