FDA Questions Cheerios' Health Claims

Tweet

The FDA is muscling in on a popular cereal's claims that it can lower cholesterol and ward off a host of other scary health issues. Cheerios, which is made by cereal giant General Mills, has been playing the "foodaceutical" (food as a medicine) card for quite some time. But the governing agency apparently thinks the science behind the heavily hyped health claims may be on the soggy side. The FDA told General Mills to stop promoting Cheerios, the country’s best-selling cereal, as a product that can lower cholesterol levels, reduce heart disease and reduce the risk of cancer. The agency said that claiming the cereal can lower cholesterol levels by 4 percent in six weeks amounts to marketing it as a drug and violates the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. General Mills issued a statement saying the complaint doesn't question whether the cereal actually lowers cholesterol levels and said the dispute is over language, not science. For more on this matter go to http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/health/la-fi-cheerios13-2009may13,0,3374676.story


Author: John McGran

Archived posts 2009

Tweet