The Wall Street Journal this morning reports that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has denied a request by General Mills that it be allowed to label its cereal and bread products as either “a good source” or an “excellent source” of whole grains. The decision was made not because General Mills’ products don’t have whole grains, but because FDA wants to think about what exactly “whole grains” should include.
All of General Mills’ cereals contain whole grains and are labeled prominently as having them; on the back of a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, for example, it says very clearly that it “is a good source of whole grain.”
The WSJ notes that “it's not clear whether General Mills and others will have to pull such words, and the FDA didn't order the company to do so. An FDA spokeswoman said yesterday that decisions will be made case by case,” and only once it has decided what “whole grains” should include.
All of General Mills’ cereals contain whole grains and are labeled prominently as having them; on the back of a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, for example, it says very clearly that it “is a good source of whole grain.”
The WSJ notes that “it's not clear whether General Mills and others will have to pull such words, and the FDA didn't order the company to do so. An FDA spokeswoman said yesterday that decisions will be made case by case,” and only once it has decided what “whole grains” should include.
- KC's View:
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Our tax dollars at work. Regulations are being made even before the government knows exactly what it’s doing.
Then again, why should this be any different.
