Cheerios warned by FDA

Thursday May 14, 2009 (foodconsumer.org) The classic yellow box of Cheerios, the best-selling cereal in the nation, has raised the ire of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

In a 2000-word warning letter, dated May 5, the FDA told General Mills they found “serious violations” of their regulations regarding food labeling.

In their letter, the FDA wrote, “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.”

The FDA told the cereal company that if they make those claims, Cheerios would have to be sold as a drug. The agency said Cheerios “may not be legally marketed with the above claims in the United States without an approved new drug application.”

GM responded in a May 12 press release saying that the “science is not in question.”

“The scientific body of evidence supporting the heart health claim was the basis for FDA’s approval,” according to their press release.

The Cheerios heart health claim “has been FDA-approved for 12 years,” and the “lower your cholesterol four percent in six weeks” message has been a feature on the box for two years.

The only thing the FDA is concerned about, says GM, is the way the information is presented on their website and the cereal box itself.

The agency also took issue with the fact the Cheerios website boasts, “Heart-healthy diets rich in whole grain foods, can reduce the risk of heart disease.” In order to make that claim, says the FDA, they have to include fruits and vegetables which when eaten together with grains, help lower risk of coronary heart disease.

By Sheilah Downey