var json_comments = new Array("
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pete7919
May 12, 2009 8:31 PM
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I'm not sure if I should comment on General Mills here for their absurd marketing claims, or th FDA for their absurd demands.

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7 replies
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duncanblackthorne
May 13, 2009 3:58 PM
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@pete7919: I work for a company that builds medical equipment, and I can tell you: the FDA is the biggest and most clueless bureaucracy you've ever seen. That being said, advertising people DO need to be reined in or they will have you believing that the product they're hawking will cure cancer and cause world peace.

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sirwired
May 12, 2009 9:21 PM
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@pete7919: They don't actually expect General Mills to fill out an NDA, even though it is technically an option.

All Cheerios failed to do was word the claim properly so folks did not try and substitute them for their statins.

SirWired

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j-o-h-n
May 12, 2009 9:25 PM
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@sirwired: Great News! This surely means I can claim my kids' Cheerios on my Medical Flex Account -- Woohoo!, pre-TAX Cheerios!

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Darrone
May 12, 2009 8:47 PM
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@pete7919: The demand seems pretty reasonable, if only a bit snarky.

\"Stop marketing it as curing heart disease, or file an application to classify it as a heart disease cure, IE a drug.\"

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bairdwallace
May 15, 2009 8:31 PM
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@Darrone: I don't know that being nutritious should constitute being a drug. I mean caffeine doesn't seem to be regulated by the FDA, but its definitely, as far as I am concerned, a drug. How about sugar? It definitely has health implications...

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snowburnt
May 13, 2009 11:17 AM
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@Darrone: wow, the FDA actually thinks drugs cure people?

Last I heard they only treat diseases

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Firethorn
May 13, 2009 2:03 PM
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@snowburnt: Some are cures, some are treatments. The fastest growing classes of drugs are preventers though.


cholesterol, in and of itself, isn't a health problem. It's the side effects from it's building up, the heart attacks and such.


Thus, lowering cholesterol is a preventative measure, you take the drugs to try to prevent a heart attack. The old 'ounce of prevention vs a pound of cure' idea. Vaccines are in the category as well.


Treaments - stuff like cold 'remedies' - can't touch the disease itself, just makes it more pleasant for the sufferer.


Cures - Antibiotics.

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Kogenta
May 12, 2009 8:54 PM
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@Darrone: Imagine if they did that. See the big pharmacy machines dispensing \"perscriptions\" of thousands of cheerios.


I'm guessing it's fine if they just drop the \"clinically\" part though.

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Bathmat
May 12, 2009 8:33 PM
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This is awesome. I really do wish that the FDA would similarly-snarky smack-downs onto other companies who market things that are \"clinically proven\". As someone who was a clinician, I can tell you that \"clinically proven\" doesn't mean much unless you're dealing with hundreds of trials.

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bairdwallace
May 15, 2009 8:35 PM
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@Bathmat: Yeah, God, yes. I can't begin to care about Cheerios marketing when there are things like HeadOn and those ads, and Enzyte, and that series, and alllll the thin-maker \"drugs\".

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slopirate
May 13, 2009 10:05 PM
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@Bathmat:

Agreed. This drives me nuts also.

\"clinically proven\" is an oxymoron. I'd be happy if they started using \"clinically shown\" instead.

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WraithSama
May 12, 2009 10:14 PM
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@Bathmat:
\"I really do wish that the FDA would similarly-snarky smack-downs onto other companies who market things that are \"clinically proven\".\"


Activiaaaa!

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Bathmat
May 12, 2009 8:33 PM
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...\"would lay similarly-snark smack-downs\". I forgot to get laid. :(

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djanes1
May 12, 2009 8:33 PM
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Great. Now can the FDA please do the same for probiotic yogurt, antioxidant tea, antioxidant juice, vitamin water, and high fiber V8?

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mariospants
May 13, 2009 2:39 PM
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@djanes1: Don't forget a similar claim against all of those hawking exercise equipment and gyms...

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sirwired
May 12, 2009 9:12 PM
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@djanes1: The yogurt, tea, juice, etc. folks are allowed to make vague (but substantiated) claims as long as no specific condition is mentioned. If you want to mention a specific condition, it has to be on an FDA-approved list and worded in an FDA-approved way.

Good: Promotes digestive health (probiotic yogurt)
Bad: Reduces constipation

Good: Contains anti-oxidants for a healthy lifestyle.
Bad: Prevents cancer.

You get the idea...

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kagekiri
May 12, 2009 9:33 PM
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@sirwired: Yeah, the claims have to be vague and only allude to medical claims. There are tons of silver-ion antimicrobial additive products that over-claim, saying they protect users from cross-infections and other such BS (truthfully you can't protect a user from infection with an antibacterial toilet, you only lower the risk that the toilet is going to let bacteria live there). Too bad the FDA hasn't cracked down on all of them yet.

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EarlNowak
May 12, 2009 8:39 PM
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@djanes1: And, for the love of god, \"Male Enhancement\" pills?!?

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The Cheat
May 12, 2009 8:52 PM
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@EarlNowak: Why is Enzyte still advertising on TV? I thought they were shut down?

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wickedpixel
May 12, 2009 10:22 PM
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@jcostantino: I was thinking the exact same thing last night when I saw one of their commercials. I was tempted to call the number and see if it was still connected.

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Canino
May 12, 2009 8:34 PM
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Kids, in every box you'll get a prize...one of 10 Authentic Drug Reactions and Site Effects Data Sheets! Approved by the FDA! COLLECT THEM ALL!

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2 replies
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Bruce
May 13, 2009 8:42 AM
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@Canino: Oh, please let one of be: \"You may experience gas with oily discharge, increased bowel movements, an urgent need to have them, and the inability to control them.\"

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pecan 3.14159265
May 12, 2009 8:36 PM
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Side effects include: inability to stop slurping and the urge to do this: [cuteoverload.files.wordpress.com]

Also, you may experience some asthma, chest pains, and sudden lack of breathing.

Cheerio!

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wardawg
May 12, 2009 11:49 PM
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@pecan 3.14159265: I wonder if it would be covered by my health plan?

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Changed my name to \"I like potatoes\"
May 12, 2009 8:36 PM
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Could this be that \"new drug\" that Huey Lewis sang about all those years ago??

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MauriceCallidice
May 13, 2009 12:30 AM
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@changed my name: I thought he wanted a \"new duck?\" Oh, nevermind, that was Weird Al.

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Vanilla5
May 12, 2009 8:36 PM
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I completely understand the FDA's reasoning for this. But I wonder if the FDA acknowledges that the regular consumption of whole grain oats is a natural cholesterol eradicator (but, of course is not a substitute for regular medical screening)? If so, I don't see a problem with Cheerios' claim - except you will always have those few ding-dongs who will try and eat Cheerios once a day instead of taking their cholesterol-lowering Rx.

I eat a packet of instant oatmeal everyday for breakfast (and have a habit of eating Walmart-brand honey nut Cheerios as a snack at home) and my cholesterol is so low it's barely even on the chart at all. My doc is really happy about that.

Then again, I'm 25 and not 49 like my old man.

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)
May 12, 2009 8:43 PM
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@Vanilla5: The FDA DOES allow foods to make (true and substantiated) health-related claims, but those claims are EXTREMELY strictly regulated (language you can use, where on the box it can appear, etc.). Cheerios claims simply went over the line; Cheerios has been pointing out its health benefits for years, well in line with FDA regulations. This latest round went too far and put them outside the rules for \"healthy food\" and into the rules for \"drug.\"

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Vanilla5
May 12, 2009 8:52 PM
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@Eyebrows McGee (popping ~May 29): That's what I was figuring with the whole \"clinically proven\" business.

Let any company tell it, everything is \"clinically proven\" by their \"rigorous studies\" - that the marketing department conducted in the mall and on napkins at the bar.

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Vanilla5
May 12, 2009 8:38 PM
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But they probably should remove the words \"clinically proven\" and say something about oats in general being proven to naturally lower cholesterol.

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litrock
May 12, 2009 8:37 PM
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Hrm. I think that if they just put on the box that they're cheerios and one of the most delicious cereals to eat dry, that would be enough. I know it's enough for me.

If I was worried about my health, I wouldn't be eating boxed cereal anyway.

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wheresmymind
May 12, 2009 8:46 PM
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@litrock: Yeah, seems to me Cheerios pretty much sell themselves, especially when you consider that they're the first solid food many of us eat. In my mind they're synonymous with healthy, universal-appeal cereal (whether or not that's actually true).

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m4ximusprim3
May 12, 2009 9:10 PM
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@wheresmymind: That's why I drench mine in honey before I put the milk on. Too much health makes my head spin.

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korybing
May 12, 2009 9:21 PM
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@m4ximusprim3: Or drown them in spoonfulls of brown sugar.

Mmm, it tastes so good.

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socalrob of the 24 and a half century
May 12, 2009 8:39 PM
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I'm glad to see this. Usually I'm not for the govt stepping in and telling us what we can and can't do and such... But lately companies have just been going overboard with their advertising and I think the govt needs to step in and tame this crap down.


You have this example right here, and I personally think food places should be held for their advertising as well.

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ben gardners boat
May 12, 2009 8:39 PM
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Yeah, I got the money.


Show me the Cheerios first.

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veg-o-matic
May 12, 2009 8:39 PM
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Hahahahahahaaa!

Oh, I have no other immediate response than giddy laughter.

FDA + FTC, heart you.

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fatcop
May 12, 2009 8:39 PM
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I always figured it was \"proven to lower cholesterol\" when it is used to replace the bacon and eggs and Jimmy Deans sositch you would ordinarily be eating for breakfast.

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4 replies
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Ratty
May 12, 2009 9:42 PM
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@fatcop: That is the strangest misspelling of sausage I have ever seen. Kudos.

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AlxFherMana
May 13, 2009 5:19 AM
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@fatcop: \"The pakitch of sositch!\" Not sure why that is so amusing..

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bluewyvern
May 12, 2009 9:58 PM
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@Ratty: Caught my eye, too. I should write that down somewhere.

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Eyebrows McGee (now with more baby!)
May 12, 2009 8:45 PM
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Here's a handy chart of FDA-allowed health-related claims about food that manufacturers can make:

[www.cfsan.fda.gov]

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Coles_Law
May 12, 2009 8:45 PM
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Great. Now teenagers across the country are going to be swiping Cheerios from their parents' pantry.

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4 replies
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babyruthless
May 12, 2009 8:56 PM
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@Coles_Law: Now all the bowls at the pharming parties will need is a splash o' milk.

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Verucalise (Est.February2008)
May 12, 2009 9:30 PM
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@babyruthless: But didn't ya know?? Skim milk is \"clinically proven\" to counteract osteoporosis.


Two drugs in one meal?? THAT'S ECONOMIC.

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Coles_Law
May 12, 2009 11:33 PM
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@verucalise: I cut my Cheerios with 2% all the time.

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veg-o-matic
May 12, 2009 8:54 PM
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@Coles_Law:

- \"These Cheerios yours, son? Your mother said she found this box in your closet. Where did you get it? Answer me! Who taught you how to do this stuff?\"

- \"YOU alright!? I learned to eat Cheerios by watching you!!!\"

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Coles_Law
May 12, 2009 8:47 PM
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@Coles_Law: Snorting Cheerios will become the next big thing at parties. (Hit 'Enter\" instead of 'preview')

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Gokuhouse
May 12, 2009 8:52 PM
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The FDA does the same thing to vitamins. They cannot claim that vitamins do a dang thing to help your body otherwise it's a drug and cannot be sold without the FDA's all knowledgeable involvement.

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pschroeter
May 12, 2009 8:54 PM
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I love Cheerios. The cereal has been around for so long that every grocery store I go to has their own dirt- cheap generic version. I wish Wheaties would finally surrender to the generic world; Raisin Bran, Wheat Chex and Rice Crispies have.

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bigd7387
May 12, 2009 8:58 PM
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I'm glad to see the FDA going after these compaines, now go after \"Smilling Bob\" and his magic man pills.

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crabbygeek
May 12, 2009 8:59 PM
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Does this mean I'll have to show my ID when picking up a couple boxes.

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Notsewfast
May 12, 2009 9:00 PM
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I'd like to know the lethal dose of Cheerios...

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4 replies
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subtlefrog
May 13, 2009 1:56 PM
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@Secret Agent Man:
Somewhere in a top secret General Mills (or whoever makes Cheerios) lab, someone is force-feeding bunnies Cheerios to answer that very question.

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Crim Law Geek
May 12, 2009 10:05 PM
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@Secret Agent Man:
Just a few if you end up choking on them :-P

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bluewyvern
May 12, 2009 10:00 PM
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@Secret Agent Man: Everything has a lethal dose.

Remember, poison is a dosage, not a substance.

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Notsewfast
May 12, 2009 10:51 PM
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@bluewyvern:
That was the joke... since drugs registered with the FDA have to identify a lethal dose, it would be comical to see what that would be for a cereal.

Thanks for killing any (arguable) humor that existed...

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redkamel
May 13, 2009 6:01 AM
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@Secret Agent Man: the lethal dose for Special K w/ dried strawberries is one box. I ate one box mostly with milk, one night when the dining hall closed. I almost barfed and had a terrible stomach ache.

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blazergst
May 12, 2009 9:05 PM
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What would be funny (and never happen) is if General Mills took the FDA to the mat and filed the application!

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wjmorris3
May 12, 2009 9:42 PM
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@blazergst: They might not want to do that; if they end up getting reclassified as a drug, it is possible that some states may not permit the purchase of Cheerios through electronic benefits transfer cards.

Put simply, drugs can't be bought on food stamps.

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Benguin
May 12, 2009 9:06 PM
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I grind that shit up and snort it. But it didn't work so well, so now I just get high on Life.

*rimshot*

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dorianh49
May 12, 2009 9:07 PM
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Cheerios is a gateway drug. Pretty soon, you'll be jonsing for a nickle bag of Kix, and it's all downhill from there. Anyone want to do a line of Frosted Miniwheat scrapings?

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winshape
May 12, 2009 9:11 PM
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I figured there was something addictive about them by the way my 2 year old snarfs them down.

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militarydave
May 12, 2009 9:11 PM
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The FDA did not need to throw this onto General Mills. The only reason the FDA would have even consented to categorize Cheerios As a Drug is IF GM went to them for FDA Approval. If they did and were denied the disclaimer would read: \"These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.\" Substantiation will be needed from GM to provide the FDA if it really through at least 2 clinical studies that prove it can \"lower cholesterol\".


Trust me... I do BS&P for a living ladies and gentlemen.

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razremytuxbuddy
May 12, 2009 9:13 PM
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With all of the fake scam diet products on the market, FDA is going after Cheerios??? I'm speechless. Seriously, completely befuddled. Wow.

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Hello_Secaucus
May 12, 2009 9:16 PM
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Nothing like a confluence of idiots!

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Outrun1986
May 12, 2009 9:25 PM
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I just started eating it since its one of the few cereals out there that doesn't have HFCS..

Gotta go back to the basics to get the cereals that don't have HFCS. There are a few others however most cereals labeled as \"healthy\" contain HFCS...

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bluewyvern
May 12, 2009 10:03 PM
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@Outrun1986: I won't touch anything from Kellogg's for this very reason.

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crunchberries
May 13, 2009 6:46 PM
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@bluewyvern: Ditto. It's pretty sad that the only cereal Kellogg's makes that doesn't contain HFCS is Froot Loops.

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IfThenElvis
May 12, 2009 9:26 PM
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The FDA is understaffed and underfunded. I suspect therefore that this was a follow up on a complaint from a competitor.

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dbshaw
May 12, 2009 9:54 PM
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Anytime you see along the lines \"*along with exercise and balanced/healthy diet\" you have to figure you'd get the same results with exercise and a balanced/healthy diet and NOT using the product.

Lets face it, if you could handle exercise and balanced/healthy diet, you probably don't have any of the problems these shysters are shilling.

Basically anything other than \"We think Cheerios are delicious, you should try them\" should be illegal as far as I'm concerned.

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Angela Kim
May 12, 2009 9:56 PM
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Watch out Lipitor and Big Pharma, here comes Cheerios...

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bluewyvern
May 12, 2009 10:02 PM
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That reminds me, I have to call my dealer. I'm down to the last two boxes of the case. When I don't get my hit of Multigrain Cheerios in the morning it's bad...

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Corporate_guy
May 12, 2009 10:08 PM
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Don't they have some male enhancement pills to investigate? Considering the crap that is sold as a drug without the FDA caring, this is pretty dumb.

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Anonymous
May 12, 2009 10:37 PM
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I think some of the people are missing the point since the entire story is not here. The FDA actually says that whole grains are healthy, have them in the food pyramid and so on. They just won't let anyone else say this. It is not a case of the FDA getting tough on claims. They know the claims are true. Fiber and Cholesterol, especially oat fiber is well known to lower cholesterol. There is no false claim there. It is a case where that the drug industry is getting tough on the FDA to keep people from doing natural things to keep them from having to compete. Cheerios has made these claims for two years, but now the drug companies are hurting from the bad economy. We can't tell people what is healthy to eat. We put the nutrition boxes on the foods, spend tax dollars for education and then short circuit it all like this. Does anyone else remember when the FDA slammed lipton tea for saying green tea was healthier than sodas? They should go back to trying to figure out how to keep us safe from food contamination. They are such a joke after the tomatoe false recall and the whole peanut butter disatster.best,SH

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H3ion
May 12, 2009 11:12 PM
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I knew I was in trouble when I started mainlining Cheerios. That's our FDA in action. They'll approve a drug that may kill you but they really go after those breakfast cereals.

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3drage
May 12, 2009 11:34 PM
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Cheerios may increase trips to the bathroom, bloated sensation, tingling of the tongue, headache, dizziness, night terrors, apnea, weight loss, depression, lack of sleep, sensitivity to music, sudden fear of roller coasters, uncontrollable laughter, dizziness, nausea, world-ending rapture, buffalo thighs, frequent desire to watch clown porn, and lengthy progressive thoughts towards governmental standards.

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HogwartsAlum
May 13, 2009 12:11 AM
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Cheerios ARE a drug. There are none in my cabinet right now and I'm jonesing.

Favorite snack - a piece of cheese, a half bowl of Cheerios (dry) and a glass of milk.

Not to mention if you are - ahem! - having difficulty with the Number 2, eat a bowl before you go to bed. By morning you'll be good to go. Hee hee.

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Kevin Sorensen
May 13, 2009 12:16 AM
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I believe putting a little \"Do not QFT!\" sticker on the bottom of this claim will solve their problems altogether.

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balilanai
May 13, 2009 12:19 AM
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Pure 1005 whole grain oats can be bought in any store for $1.5-$1.99
Cheerios makes them ROUND (ahh...) and puts sugar in it and sells the same weight for about $9-$10

Idiots buy the sugar version

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painfullyblunt
May 13, 2009 2:31 AM
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i heard the prescription coverage they enacted a year or two ago had a doughnut hole... but now breakfast cereal too?

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FuryOfFirestorm
May 13, 2009 2:32 AM
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So? I've been snorting it for years!

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segfault
May 13, 2009 2:35 AM
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Well, I knew there was a reason I couldn't put the box of Cheerios down. Just like my box of Oxycontin.

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FuryOfFirestorm
May 13, 2009 2:38 AM
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I turn tricks for Trix!

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johnmc
May 13, 2009 3:03 AM
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As an aside, I have it on good authority (actually, I've even tasted the placebo) that certain birth control pills taste like Cheerios.

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zyodei
May 13, 2009 7:12 AM
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Imagine what would happen if companies were allowed to print anything they wanted, and people had to learn that you can't trust what it says on a package just because it's \"FDA approved,\" and learned to do their own research?

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krunk4ever
May 13, 2009 8:51 AM
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For those that care, technically most foods can fall into category of drugs. How does one define drug? According to Wikipedia:

[en.wikipedia.org]

A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.

You eat food, you get a boost of energy + vitamins. You drink coffee, caffeine keeps you alert. Most foods have some effect to our mind/body. Tons of food have health benefits (anti-oxidants, fiber, calcium, etc.) which make claims about lowering cholesterol or lowering the risk of hearth attack, etc.

This feels like FDA is just picking on General Mills. Are they unhappy they used the term \"clinically proven\"?

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Rhayader
May 13, 2009 2:51 PM
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@krunk4ever: That's exactly right. I think that stories like this point out the hypocrisy of our culture's treatment and classification of drugs. The distinctions are almost always made on the basis of cultural perceptions, and not scientific differences.

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Anonymous
May 13, 2009 10:10 AM
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Actually Cheerios is clinically proven to lower cholesterol. The problem is the FDA says that ONLY drugs can cure diseases. Therefore, Cheerios needs FDA approval to lower cholesterol which is absurd and illogical.

The FDA is upset that the pharmaceuticals, that butters FDA's bread , will lose money because people will choose to eat cereals and not drugs pushed by the pharmaceutical industry.

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Danica Grannon
May 13, 2009 11:11 AM
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I always knew that when my mom forced me to eat breakfast she had ulterior motives... But dear lord drugging me... I better call Social Services. I wonder if the Wheaties she gave me were performance enhancing...

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Josh Frantz
May 13, 2009 1:41 PM
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Since when were drugs part of a \"balanced breakfast\"?


I guess they can go back to the uber flimsy statment that Cheerios \"may help lower cholesterol\"


Then again Cherrios might not do anything either

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Rhayader
May 13, 2009 2:52 PM
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@Josh Frantz: Since when were drugs part of a \"balanced breakfast\"?

Come on, haven't you ever heard of a wake n' bake? Breakfast of champions.

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djanes1
May 13, 2009 9:41 PM
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@sirwired: I understand the distinction but fail to accept its legitimacy. To get all pollanesque, can't food just be food?

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FuryOfFirestorm
May 14, 2009 4:06 AM
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If pills for breakfast is good enough for Liza Minelli, it's good enough for me!

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almightytora
May 15, 2009 12:15 AM
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I am so gonna stock up on Cheerios right now.

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