Government Wants to Regulate Cheerios®---As a Drug!

Cheerios Kid Busted!

The latest verdict from the Food and Drug Administration is that Cheerios® is a drug.

No, our government isn't overreaching to regulate every aspect of our existence, is it?

...The FDA sent a warning to Cheerios® maker General Mills Inc. that it is in serious violation of federal rules.

"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 FDA letter said. "[Cheerios] may not be legally marketed with the above claims in the United States without an approved new drug application."

Cue Steppenwolf's G*d D*mn "The Pusher"! Whatever could General Mills be promoting that forced the government to take a stern hand here?

Two claims on the Cheerios cereal box upset the FDA: "Cheerios is clinically proven to reduce cholesterol 4 percent in 6 weeks" and, "Cheerios can help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease, by lowering the 'bad' cholesterol."

Susan Cruzan of the FDA's press office told The Washington Times the FDA is not objecting to the fact that clinical studies do, in fact, find that Cheerios do what General Mills claims. What concerns the FDA, according to Ms. Cruzan, is, "This is a food product, and they do have a health claim." Specifically, the agency objects to the preciseness of the claims, which she says would make the product classified as a drug. General Mills "could say 'heart disease,' but they are being specific and saying 'coronary heart disease,' " she explains.

Did you get that? "The FDA is not objecting to the fact that clinical studies do, in fact, find that Cheerios do what General Mills claims..."

So General Mills is making a factual claim about their cereal and the FDA wants them to stop because...people might listen and actually eat more healthy?

So the government has determined that if you put accurate information on a cereal box, their only alternative is to classify breakfast cereal as a "drug" in order to regulate how that information is presented to the consuming public? Please set your calendars to 1984, because we are here!

This is obviously unfair to competition! Since Hostess Ho Hos® cannot make a similar claim, it's obvious the General Mills has an unfair advantage in the marketplace that must be crushed er, regulated for the good of the children!
Hat tip John Lott
Cross posted at Say Anything