Popular Cheerios cereal is a 'drug': U.S. FDA
 

WASHINGTON — Popular U.S. breakfast cereal Cheerios is a drug, at least if the claims made on the label by its manufacturer General Mills are anything to go by, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said.

"Based on claims made on your product's label, we have determined that your Cheerios Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug," the FDA said in a letter to General Mills which was posted on the federal agency's website Tuesday.

Cheerios labels claim that eating the cereal can help lower bad cholesterol, a risk factor for coronary heart disease, by four per cent in six weeks.

Citing a clinical study, the product labels also claim that eating two servings a day of Cheerios helps to reduce bad cholesterol when eaten as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, the FDA letter says.

Those claims indicate that Cheerios — said by General Mills to be the best-selling cereal in the United States — is intended to be used to lower cholesterol and prevent, lessen or treat the disease hypercholesterolemia, and to treat and prevent coronary heart disease.

"Because of these intended uses, the product is a drug," the FDA concluded in its letter.

Not only that, but Cheerios is a new drug because it has not been "recognized as safe and effective for use in preventing or treating hypercholesterolemia or coronary heart disease," the FDA said.

That means General Mills may not legally market Cheerios unless it applies for approval as a new drug or changes the way it labels the small, doughnut-shaped cereal, the FDA said.

General Mills defended the claims on Cheerios packaging, saying in a statement that Cheerios' soluble fiber heart health claim has been FDA-approved for 12 years, and that its "lower your cholesterol four per cent in six weeks" message has been featured on the box for more than two years.

The FDA's quibble is not about whether Cheerios cereal is good for you but over "how the Cheerios cholesterol-lowering information is presented on the Cheerios package and website," said General Mills.

"We look forward to discussing this with FDA and to reaching a resolution."

Meanwhile, the FDA warned in its letter that if General Mills fails to "correct the violations" on its labels, boxes of Cheerios could disappear from supermarket and wholesaler shelves around the United States and the company could face legal action.

According to General Mills, one in eight boxes of cereal sold in the United States is a box of Cheerios. The cereal debuted on the U.S. market in 1941.
http://www.vancouversun.com/Health/P...241/story.html

That's just silly.

marketing backfired?

not silly. FDA has to govern things like this, otherwise all kinds of companies will start making claims about their cereal, then you won't know which one to believe.

anyways, fuck cheerio's. vector cereal fucking PWNZZ that shit yo

Vanilla Almond Special K. There ain't no other way.

you got it.

Good ol' VA special K :P

Back before the FDA people made up all sorts of shit about miracle cures made from turnips and ground up eagle bones that would supposedly cure cancer.

The FDA is ensuring that theres no more snake oil salesmen

weird,

cheerios has been advertising that shit for what seems like years

why the commotion now?

Who knows.

Maybe General Mills stopped "donating" to President Obama's political campaign?

Just a guess.

I love the Cheerios Multigrain... man... eat that shit practically a box a week.

OATMEAL FTW! i seriously have a bowl every morning, i have yet to look back on it.

I start my day like any other man. With a pound of bacon, four beers, and a hearty line of cocaine. I don't need any stuck up cereal telling me I'm unhealthy.

I disagree.

I don't think you guys are understanding the actual issue here.

It is not about whether the claims that Cheerios made is true or false. From what the article says, that's not even their point of contention - they're not disputing the validity of the claims.

Their point is BECAUSE Cheerios has those statements that it can lower bad cholesterol and coronary heart diseases, it is no longer a food item but a drug item.

I swore myself to only buy oatmeal crisp Almond..
is vanilla almond Special K any good maybe I should try them

I can see that i missed the point by a bit, but which part of bastardo or my post don't you agree with? controlling what company's write on their shit IS just one of the things the FDA does

good good whole wheat shreddies

But what if the claims made by Cheerios is 100% correct, proven and factual?

Does that mean Cheerios has to be classified as a DRUG now, instead of a food product?

it could be. cheerios can possibly be an over the counter drug then. you will no longer find it in the cereal aisle, but the drug section.

THAT is why I'm saying it's silly.

BNR32_Coupe, do you get it now?

I snort a high fiber breakfast for my daily fix and a low fat dinner for my second high.

So can crackheads can buy fixes in bulk now?

is that supposed to be funny?

Its weird that the first thing you think about is crack when you see the word "drug".....