Remember how Kellogg’s was claiming that Cocoa Krispies was going to help your immunity? Well they’ve decided to pull that claim, but not for responsible reasons, of course. They felt that given all this swine flu attention, it hung their butt a little too far out there. I mean false statements to sell cereal would normally be ok, but not when everyone is actually concerned with the product doing what it says. Duh.
There’s actually something more insidious going on here, however. There’s one line in the article that I’d like you all to pay careful attention to:
General Mills was chided by the FDA for claiming Cheerios could lower cholesterol, saying only FDA-approved drugs are allowed to make such claims.
This, ladies and gentlemen, is the real function of the FDA. It’s not to protect you, I’m sorry to say. No, the real function of the FDA is to make sure that people look to drugs (and obviously, then, the companies that make them) to solve their health issues. Don’t believe me? Take cherry juice, which has been shown in an increasing number of studies to have some sweet benefits such as: reduced inflammation and muscle soreness due to exercise, and relief of pain due to arthritis and gout. However, things like “reduce inflammation” and “relieve pain” are things only drugs can do, according to the FDA, and thus they can only be claimed by drugs. Still not convinced? Take a look at this letter from the FDA to Heritage Products International, a company selling cherry juice and *gasp* telling you what cherries and their antioxidants have been shown to do. Some excerpts below (my emphasis):
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reviewed the labeling of your Cherry Juice Concentrate and tart cherry capsules, including your web site at www.cherryjuicepower.com. This review shows serious violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act) in the labeling of these products.
Under the Act, articles intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease in man are drugs [Section 201(g)(1)(B) of the Act, 21 USC 321(g)(1)(B)]. The labeling for your products on your web site bears the following claims:
“[C]herries .: . . contain compounds that help relieve the pain of arthritis, gout.”
“Tart cherries contain anthocyanins and bioflavonoids which . . . prevent. inflammation in the body….
Your product. label for Cherry Juice Power states in part: “Tart Cherry Juice is 10 times more effective in fighting inflammation than aspirin.”
These statements are further evidence that your Cherry Juice Power is intended to be used as a drug. If these materials ate currently distributed with your products; they constitute labeling and further cause your products to be unapproved new drugs.
Wow. Ever wonder why we’re the least healthy nation? We’ve managed to set up a system where: 1.Crap foods are allowed to make all manner of silly claims, yet 2. It’s actually illegal for natural remedies to compete with drugs, even when they’ve been shown to be more effective and safe. What do we do about it? Does it matter? Post thoughts to comments.
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Posted by southbaltimorecf 
Posted by southbaltimorecf 
Posted by southbaltimorecf 
