Agence France-Presse
"Popular US breakfast cereal Cheerios is a drug, at least if the claims
made on the label by its manufacturer General Mills are anything to go
by, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said.
'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,' the FDA said in a letter to General Mills
which was posted on the federal agency's website Tuesday. Cheerios
labels claim that eating the cereal can help lower bad cholesterol, a
risk factor for coronary heart disease, by four percent in six weeks.
Citing a clinical study, the product labels also claim that eating two
servings a day of Cheerios helps to reduce bad cholesterol when eaten as
part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, the FDA letter
says." [editor's note: Any advocate of "consumer protection" who agrees
with this one should just admit to inherent fascism ... and move along -
SAT] (05/12/09)