At No More Glyphosate NZ, we’re committed to conducting independent and transparent testing of everyday products for glyphosate contamination.
Following on from our first round of honey testing (see results here), we turned our attention to one of New Zealand’s most iconic breakfast staples: Weet-Bix.
Why Test Weet-Bix?
Weet-Bix is a household name, trusted by generations of Kiwi families for its simple, wheat-based recipe and health-focused marketing. But wheat crops around the world can be exposed to glyphosate during cultivation or harvest (as a desiccant). We wanted to know if any residues were making their way into the final product on our supermarket shelves.
This test was made possible thanks to four generous supporters who stepped up and fully funded the laboratory analysis of four Weet-Bix varieties — making this a true community-powered investigation.
The Samples We Tested
We submitted four different Weet-Bix varieties to Hill Laboratories for testing:
✅ Weet-Bix Original
✅ Weet-Bix Gluten-Free (made in Australia)
✅ Weet-Bix Cholesterol-Lowering
✅ Weet-Bix Multi-Grain (made in Australia)
The Lab Results
Here’s what the testing revealed for each sample:
- AMPA (main breakdown product of glyphosate): less than 0.05 mg/kg in all samples
- Glufosinate (another commonly used herbicide): less than 0.006 mg/kg in all samples
- Glyphosate itself:
- Original: < 0.05 mg/kg (not detected)
- Gluten-Free (Australia): < 0.05 mg/kg (not detected)
- Cholesterol-Lowering: < 0.05 mg/kg (not detected)
- Multi-Grain (Australia): 0.56 mg/kg detected
Note: The laboratory detection limits were 0.05 mg/kg for glyphosate and AMPA, and 0.006 mg/kg for glufosinate. “Not detected” means residues, if present, were below these thresholds — or absent entirely.
What Does That Mean?
Three of the four samples showed no measurable glyphosate residues.
However, the Multi-Grain Weet-Bix made in Australia tested positive for glyphosate at 0.56 mg/kg. This is above New Zealand’s current maximum residue limit for glyphosate in wheat products (0.1 mg/kg) — but still well below Australia’s limit of 5 mg/kg, where this variety was produced.
New Zealand regulators have proposed raising the domestic limit to 10 mg/kg, though this has not yet been adopted. Regardless of legality, it shows that glyphosate can — and does — find its way into even the most trusted breakfast brands.
For people who buy Weet-Bix because it feels safe, simple, and natural, these results may be reassuring overall. However, the measurable residue found in the Multi-Grain variety still raises a reasonable question: Should any amount of glyphosate be in our breakfast at all?
What Does 0.56 mg/kg Actually Mean?
To put the test result into context:
- 0.56 mg/kg means 0.56 milligrams of glyphosate per kilogram of product.
- New Zealand’s legal limit (MRL) for glyphosate in wheat is 0.1 mg/kg.
- So this sample exceeds the New Zealand limit by more than five times.
While 0.56 mg/kg is far below Australia’s legal limit (5 mg/kg), the result highlights a regulatory gap: products made in Australia may legally contain higher glyphosate levels than would be allowed in New Zealand-grown equivalents.
Under the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Agreement, food legally sold in Australia can also be sold in New Zealand — even if it exceeds our local residue limits. That’s why independently testing both local and imported food matters more than ever.
A Note on Intent and Interpretation
We want to be clear: this is not a name-and-shame campaign. Our goal is not to target brands, but to help build a clearer picture of where glyphosate might be showing up in our food system — and to empower New Zealanders to make informed choices.
Some supporters may have hoped for zero across the board — and a few were probably looking for blood. But three of the four samples came back clear, and the one that didn’t has helped us shine a spotlight on the gap between what’s legal and what’s acceptable to many New Zealanders.
Just as importantly, these results now provide a baseline for future testing. Whether levels go up, down, or stay the same, this gives us a starting point for real, data-informed conversations about glyphosate in New Zealand food.
Why It Matters
Regulators set maximum residue limits based on what they consider “safe,” but many New Zealanders want to see glyphosate eliminated altogether from their food supply. These results reinforce why independent testing is so important: to give consumers clear, unbiased information that official monitoring might not capture.
We believe everyone deserves to make informed choices — whether that means switching to organic options, supporting glyphosate-free farming, or calling for stricter standards on residues in staple foods.
Sanitarium Responds
Following the release of our independent glyphosate test results, Sanitarium provided the following statement:
Thank you for your enquiries to our Sanitarium Customer Relations Centre Team. Our business experts have assessed the details and findings you have shared and can provide the below information as background and response.
As a 94 year old brand that is voted most trusted by Kiwis, consumer health and safety are critically important to us at Sanitarium Health Food Company, and we take great care in producing high-quality, nutritious cereals that consumers can trust.
Like all cereal, bread, and pasta manufacturers, we work with ingredients such as wheat, oats, sorghum and barley, grown using common farming practices which may involve the use of herbicides such as glyphosate. It is accepted by Food Standards Australia New Zealand that certain trace amounts of herbicides may remain in or on some crops after they’re harvested. As a food manufacturer, which prides itself on adhering to strict food safety and quality processes, our focus is on ensuring that the presence of glyphosate does not exceed regulated Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) which are set by Food Standards Australia New Zealand and apply to products made and sold in Australia and New Zealand.
As part of our ongoing commitment to quality and food safety, Sanitarium follows a sound supplier approval program to select high quality ingredients. Sanitarium also regularly conducts tests on its own raw ingredients and products, including testing for glyphosate.
In the past five years, glyphosate was detected at very low levels in two routine tests, but always at levels far below the limits set by Food Standards ANZ, as is the case in the sample results you tested and shared with us.
Consumers of Weet-Bix Multi-Grain can be assured that, according to Food Standards Australia New Zealand, the presence at times of glyphosate in cereal-based foods like bread, biscuits, and breakfast cereals is well below the accepted dietary limits, and ‘pose no food safety concern.’ According to the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries, food imported from Australia is considered safe if it complies with the Food Standards Australia New Zealand code which permits a higher MRL. The New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries is currently reviewing a proposal to amend the Maximum Residue Level for glyphosate in wheat grain to 10mg/kg.
A Question of Standards
Sanitarium maintains that all levels detected are well below the limits permitted under the Food Standards Australia New Zealand Code, and that their products are safe for consumption. They cite routine testing, supplier controls, and FSANZ assurances as part of their commitment to quality.
While we appreciate this response, it highlights a key tension in the system:
New Zealanders may be consuming products with higher pesticide residues not because we’ve reviewed and accepted the risk — but because we’ve aligned with another country’s standards.
And as the Ministry for Primary Industries considers raising New Zealand’s own legal limit to 10 mg/kg, that question becomes even more urgent:
Should we be lowering our standards to match Australia — or raising them to reflect growing global concern?
Final Thought
This is just the start. We will continue to test more New Zealand products and share the results publicly — but we can only do it with your help.
Independent glyphosate testing isn’t free. Every sample tested is powered by people like you. If you’d like to help us keep this work going, please consider making a donation today.
Read about our first honey testing results here.
Image Source & Attribution
A big thank you to the creators at Unsplash for making their images freely available for projects like ours. Maritza Brunt created the image featured on this page. You can explore more of their work here: https://unsplash.com/@maritzabrunt.
