Did you eat your Cheerios this morning? You may have just inadvertently taken an unapproved drug. Or so says the FDA, who has just sent a warning letter to General Mills, the maker of the cereal:
In a warning letter sent to the chairman of General Mills (maker of the beloved breakfast classic) and posted on the agency's website, the FDA says:
"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."
The agency takes special issue with these claims:
* "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."
Sadly, she's one of the very few legit people out there with 40 years of intense research and 6 collaborated books under her belt.
(Still, not my sort of thing. I like established-well known medicine myself.)
I'm suprised it's taken the FDA this long, TBH.
WHAT??!!
While the term "misbranded drug" is a bit harsh on the FDA's part, I'm sure they only said it to give General Mills incentive to change some of claims they make on their website and where and how they place it on their boxes. Apparently, General Mills claimed that it could help prevent some cancers without any proof or authorization, and omitted important parts out of the heart-healthy statement.
The media likes to spin stories in the direction of sensationalism, so you might want to do some research of your own before starting a sh*tstorm; otherwise, you're only playing into their hands.