Ken Paxton, Texas attorney general and Republican US Senate candidate, during a campaign event at The Angry Elephant in Magnolia, Texas, US, on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. The Texas Senate race's price tag is already up to more than $160 million for bot …
AUSTIN, Texas - The Texas Attorney General has launched an investigation into glyphosate residue in food products, targeting major pesticide and food manufacturers over concerns that consumers, particularly children, may be exposed to potentially harmful levels of the herbicide.
Bayer and PepsiCo targeted over marketing and disclosure
What we know:
Attorney General Ken Paxton's office announced Tuesday that it has issued Civil Investigative Demands to several companies, including Bayer, the maker of Roundup weed killer, and food and beverage giant PepsiCo.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MAY 14: Roundup weed killer is shown on May 14, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. A jury yesterday ordered Monsanto, the maker of Roundup, to pay a California couple more than $2 billion in damages after finding that the weed killer had …
The investigation will examine whether companies have violated Texas law through their marketing practices or by failing to disclose glyphosate contamination in food products. It focuses in part on the use of glyphosate as a desiccant.
A desiccant is defined as a practice in which herbicides are applied to crops shortly before harvest to promote uniform drying.
Loopholes and pre-harvest chemical spraying
A worker picks blueberries during a harvest at a farm. (Cesar Rodriguez/Bloomberg / Getty Images)
What they're saying:
According to the Attorney General's office, more than 250 million pounds of glyphosate are applied annually in the United States.
The office cited research indicating that more than 70% of American adults have detectable levels of glyphosate in their bodies, compared with about 12% in 1993.
FILE - Rolled oats. (John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The Attorney General's office said studies have found elevated glyphosate levels in some foods aimed at children and noted research suggesting that children ages 1 and 2 experience higher dietary exposure to glyphosate than any other age group. While the EPA prohibits the use of glyphosate as a desiccant on oats grown in the United States, many food manufacturers import oats from countries where the practice is permitted, according to the news release.
"If any corporation is using regulatory loopholes to poison our kids with glyphosate, we will find out and we will secure justice," Paxton said in a statement. "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."
What is glyphosate? Health risks and carcinogen debate
Dig deeper:
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup and is one of the most widely used herbicides in agriculture.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified glyphosate as a "probable human carcinogen" in 2015, though regulatory agencies in several countries, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, have maintained that glyphosate is not likely to cause cancer when used as directed.
Texas corporate chemical probe
What's next:
The office did not specify which products or companies are under investigation beyond Bayer and PepsiCo.
No allegations of wrongdoing have been filed in court as the investigation remains ongoing.
The Source: Information in this article