General Mills Marketing Cheerios “As a Drug”, says FDA

May 12, 2009: 06:09 AM EST

The Food and Drug Administration has warned General Mills that it is overstepping the mark with its claim that Cheerios can reduce bad cholesterol and cut the risks of heart disease. The claim amounted to marketing the cereal as a drug, the FDA said. It has not approved the claim. In a letter issued May 7, 2009 the agency takes issue with General Mills’ claim that “eating two 1½ cup servings daily of Cheerios cereal reduced bad cholesterol when eaten as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol”. This was clearly a drug claim, according to Dr Steven Sundloff, head of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety. He said that Cheerios were “a product that can be part of a healthy diet”, but said that companies tended to go too far with their health claims. The FDA was reacting to a complaint made in September by consumer advocacy group the National Consumer League. The letter to General Mills “marked a significant change of approach under the Obama administration” said Bruce Silverglade, legal director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. General Mills said the complaint related to how the information is presented, not to the health claims themselves.

Jonathan Birchall , "FDA warns Cheerios over health claims", Financial Times, May 12, 2009, © The Financial Times Limited

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General Mills Marketing Cheerios “As a Drug”, says FDA

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