Do you want to know something about Cheerios that, until recently, General Mills didn’t know? Of course you do. Cheerios is a drug. No, really. The WSJ Health Blog says that General Mills made a slight, um, let’s call it a “miscalculation” when they were drafting their marketing speech and by claiming that Cheerios is “clinically proven to lower cholesterol,” they inadvertently “cause[d] it to be a drug.” Whoopsies!

The FDA says, in a letter to General Mills:

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 letter continues on to say that Cheerios “may not be legally marketed with the above claims in the United States without an approved new drug application.”

Is it wrong that we desperately want to read such an application?

FDA Warns General Mills: Cheerios Is a Drug [WSJ]
(Photo:Superchou)

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.