Could the FDA actually be making fun of itself? I mean on purpose?? Is there some subterranean weirdo in their public affairs dept. who is sabotaging the organisation on the sly? How can we help?
On Wed, 2009-05-13 at 09:55 -0500, Norton, Steve wrote: > > > > LOL > I wonder if Cheerios will be covered by my prescription insurance? > > - Steve N > > Popular cereal is a drug, US food watchdog says > 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. > > Those claims indicate that Cheerios -- said by General Mills to be the > best-selling cereal in the United States -- is intended to be used to > lower cholesterol and prevent, lessen or treat the disease > hypercholesterolemia, and to treat and prevent coronary heart disease. > > "Because of these intended uses, the product is a drug," the FDA > concluded in its letter. > Not only that, but Cheerios is a new drug because it has not been > "recognized as safe and effective for use in preventing or treating > hypercholesterolemia or coronary heart disease," the FDA said. > > That means General Mills may not legally market Cheerios unless it > applies for approval as a new drug or changes the way it labels the > small, doughnut-shaped cereal, the FDA said. > > General Mills defended the claims on Cheerios packaging, saying in a > statement that Cheerios' soluble fiber heart health claim has been > FDA-approved for 12 years, and that its "lower your cholesterol four > percent in six weeks" message has been featured on the box for more > than two years. > > The FDA's quibble is not about whether Cheerios cereal is good for you > but over "how the Cheerios cholesterol-lowering information is > presented on the Cheerios package and website," said General Mills. > > "We look forward to discussing this with FDA and to reaching a > resolution." > -- The Silver List is a moderated forum for discussing Colloidal Silver. Instructions for unsubscribing are posted at: http://silverlist.org To post, address your message to: [email protected] Address Off-Topic messages to: [email protected] The Silver List and Off Topic List archives are currently down... List maintainer: Mike Devour <[email protected]>
