Somebody at the FDA must have a cousin who makes Sugar Pops, because the watchdog agency tasked with keeping effective drugs off the market is taking on that sleazy product you see advertised all the time … Cheerios.

At issue is the claim that Cheerios can help lower cholesterol.

The FDA readily admits that soluble fiber from whole grain oats can lead to a reduced risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol.

Since Cheerios cereal is made from whole grain oats, you might think a reasonable person who made it past the third grade would be able to make the connection that Cheerios can help lower cholesterol and, therefore, it would be okay to say that on a cereal box.

Apparently, you would be wrong.

The FDA stated the following in a letter fired off to Cheerios maker General Mills:

“The claim on your Web site leaves out any reference to fruits, vegetables, and fiber content. Therefore, your claim does not convey that all these factors together help to reduce the risk of heart disease and does not enable the public to understand the significance of the claim in the context of the total daily diet.

According to the FDA, the problem isn’t that Cheerios doesn’t lower cholesterol, the real problem is that you can’t get an undergraduate degree in nutrition by buying a box of Cheerios.

This could be a problem for all sorts of products.

Gatorade advertises that it quenches your thirst. If the FDA has its way, you’ll soon have to buy Gatorade in four-gallon bottles because the agency will require that every other beverage that quenches thirst is listed on the label as well as explicit instructions for how to desalinize salt water if you happen to get trapped on a desert island.

As usual, there’s no shortage of agenda-wielding bureaucrats who want to jump on the bandwagon. Bruce Silverglade, director of legal affairs for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, in Washington weighed in on the topic with this gem:

“Consumers are influenced by food claims on labels. To the extent that they’re misleading, it’s as bad as a doctor giving out poor medical advice.”

Yeah, right … except that the claim that Cheerios can help lower cholesterol isn’t misleading and probably isn’t anywhere near as egregious anything done by Carrot Top’s plastic surgeon.

My question would be, “Who’s vice-president in charge of priorities at the FDA?”

You can’t go to more than three websites without watching some 87-year old crone morph into Miss California in a demonstration of the “simulated” effects of some “better than Botox” cream, yet the FDA has time to raise an alarm about what is probably the healthiest breakfast cereal on the market.

In a related story, the FDA has announced that it will be cracking down and signing arrest warrants for parents who tell their kids that eating vegetables are good for them but don’t have a Powerpoint presentation to back up the claim.

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FDA wants more information on packaging regarding exactly how carrots are good for you…

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Image: allygirl520 on Flickr

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