• Los Angeles Times, Wednesday, May 13, 2009 10:45 AM

The Food and Drug Administration has warned General Mills that its claims that it Cheerios brand cereal lowers cholesterol and reduces the risk of heart disease and cancer violates federal law, reports Tiffany Hsu. General Mills spokesman Tom Forsythe says the science supporting the claims is solid and that the company looks forward to discussing the matter with the FDA.

The FDA allows some health benefits of foods to be advertised but within strict limits. For instance, a company can say that a diet low in saturated fat and high in fiber-rich foods such as fruit, vegetables and whole grains may reduce the risk of heart disease.

"The claim on your website leaves out any reference to fruits and vegetables, to fiber content and to keeping the levels of saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet low," the agency says. "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."

Read the whole story at Los Angeles Times »