Cheerios – A New Cholesterol Lowering Drug?
In May the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) sent a warning letter to General Mills, the manufacturers of Cheerios indicating that they had found “serious violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act” in that they believe based on the packaging that Cheerios was “is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug because the product is intended for use in the prevention, mitigation, and treatment of disease.”
According to the Warning Letter sent by the FDA to Cheerios they were accusing General Mills of marketing an “Unproved New Drug”
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 because the product is intended for use in the prevention, mitigation, and treatment of disease. Specifically, your Cheerios® product bears the following claims on its label:
- “you can Lower Your Cholesterol 4% in 6 weeks”
- “Did you know that in just 6 weeks Cheerios can reduce bad cholesterol by an average of 4 percent? Cheerios is … clinically proven to lower cholesterol. A clinical study showed that eating two 1 1/2 cup servings daily of Cheerios cereal reduced bad cholesterol when eaten as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.”
These claims indicate that Cheerios® is intended for use in lowering cholesterol, and therefore in preventing, mitigating, and treating the disease hypercholesterolemia.
Cheerios packaging has changed a lot over the years. As seen in the photo above, the claims on the packaging are that Cheerios are “Clinically Proven to Help Reduce Cholesterol.” It looks with the latest boxes on the shelves that Cheerios has removed the claims of lowering your cholesterol 4% in 6 weeks.
I think that the FDA was correct in pointing out that General Mills has crossed a line in it’s packaging and marketing of Cheerios, using language that is usually used when discussing drugs.
With that said, Cheerios has been a staple in our house since the girls were young, because it is one of the few cereals out there with low fat, low sugar, high fiber and healthy benefits from oats.
Sources:
FDA. May 5, 2009. General Mills, Inc. 5/5/09. Warning Letters.
FDA. May 14, 2009. Labeling of Cheerios® Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal Q’s & A’s Regarding FDA’s Warning Letter. Resources for You > Consumers.
Add comment June 15th, 2009
