Posted on 05/30/2009 5:18:33 AM PDT by FromLori
Based on the long-time claim by General Mills that its Cheerios cereal can lower cholesterol by 4 percent in just six weeks — when part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, of course — the Food and Drug Administration has admonished the giant breakfast cereal producer and said those claims mean the little round “o’s” of oats are to be considered a drug.
Simply by indicating the cereal is intended for use as a cholesterol-lowering product, it now falls under the FDA regulations regarding drugs, and because it’s a “new” drug by definition — never mind that the cholesterol ad has been around for about 2 years — it must be approved via a drug application before General Mills can continue making the claim, the FDA told the company in a letter May 5.
Now, it seems Cheerios can indeed be marketed as a healthy choice in the fight against heart disease because the FDA already has regulations authorizing the claim by products with soluable fiber from whole grain oats.
The FDA goes on to attack Cheerios’ box labeling and associated claims of healty diet and the reduction of cholesterol on the company website. The bottom line: Cheerios can’t say it reduces cholesterol without having gone through specific FDA-approved testing to back it up.
Make the claim and the FDA will regulate the cereal just like a drug.
So who got the FDA all up in arms about the cereal box labeling? The National Consumers League back in September flagged the feds to Cheerios’ “drug-like claims, calling the ads “magic bullet health claims” that are impermissible under the law and “properly reserved to cholesterol-lowering medications.”
For its bit, General Mills issued a statement saying “Cheerios’ soluble fiber heart health claim has been FDA-approved for 12 years. …The science is not in question…and the clinical study supporting Cheerios’ cholesterol-lowering benefit is very strong. We are in dialog with the FDA.”
The agency gave the Minneapolis-based company 15 days to come up with a decision on what to do.
Who's next, General Tire? General Electric?
Good thing the guy who sells that chicken is only a Colonel...
Obama is lowering the value of companies he feels have “unfair marketing advantage”. General Mills seems to be the first target. Of course, he did cut the advertising budget for Chrysler to make them more “fair”. So far, Obama is successful in his efforts to destroy our economy.
I thought we had some honorable Democrats who would put a stop to this destruction - guess not.
Answer: Absolutely nothing.
Maybe not dumber but on par with them: BATFE agents, IRS agents and just about any other Government agency employee.
I bought a box of Cheerios the other day out of nostalgia (I probably hadn’t eaten them in 20 years) and I must admit - they are delicious. I can see how an addiction could get started.
Yes! I’ve found that changing my diet alone shut my pill pusher up for good. He wanted me on statins and beta blockers, but I saw what they did to some acquaintances of mine and refused. Then I read about low carb and a few other things like the body chemistry of carbs, proteins, and fats. I concluded that low carb was the way for me. It has worked out very well for my health.
I wonder how many people are taking these destructive drugs when they could just cut carbs and be healthier. Yes, it takes a long time to lose one’s sugar addiction, but it is well worth it, just like quitting smoking. Too bad I couldn’t convince my friends, but they just “can’t give up” the sweets. They aren’t doing well.
I take some niacin a couple of times a week. Sometimes I get the reaction but not always. At worst, it’s bearable for me, so I keep taking it, but I have heard some terrible things about what some people go through trying to take it.
This is what we need - the government micro-managing Cheerio’s boxes.
Here is the fascist ruling class argument against your statement:
One definition of a drug from Wikipedia:
a. A substance used in the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of a disease or as a component of a medication.
b. Such a substance as recognized or defined by the U.S. Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
Now, given Obesity & Diabetes are diseases, & dietary restrictions & encouragements are treatments for those diseases, then all the food we eat is a drug - some good, some bad - as defined by the gubmint.
Since the gubmint has a long history of selectively labeling some substances as legal or illegal, & given their obviously increasing intrusion into every aspect of our lives, further control of what we consume is as sure as sunrise tomorrow.
Oats may be good today, but if the global warmers decide rice or dandelions are better, then you can kiss your oat based Cheerios goodbye. Not to worry though, the New, Improved Cheerios will likely have no organic components at all!
Geeze-Loo-ee-zz! Now I have to get my Doc to write me a script for Cheerios.
Prescribe me just one of those weekly and I’ll be fine.
Sunlight regulation is being outsourced to the EPA and related environmental agencies under Globull Warming I believe. But don’t worry sunlight is being regulated.
They outlawed my tea a few years ago.
Good point. I imagine Chinese Cheelios would have lots of sawdust and particle board dust in them. For the fiber. And they would smell of formaldehyde.
It’s not about drugs it’s about truth in advertising.
They, the FDA, have been doing this for years what drug are you on that you missed it.
It is all about the benjamins and globalization: they are here to stay. Ooops, I am starting to sound like a WTO-Protestor-Newbie, must be the effects of the acid rain and global warming./Just Asking - seoul62.......
The FDA is a joke, and the fact that CSPI parroted the official FDA story clearly shows that CSPI are nothing but shills for the FDA and Big Pharma. CSPI clearly does not care about health and well-being.
You know, I think those “the global elite want to kill off 80% of the world population” conspiracy theorists may be on to something, because it seems CSPI clearly fits into such a conspiracy theory.
I bought two huge boxes of Cheerios the other day to basically say “f*ck you” to both the FDA and CSPI.
So how long before Manet Napolitano declares Cheerios eaters as potential terrorists?
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