Wednesday 13 May 2009

The FDA vs. Cheerios: why this isn't a stupid story

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/cfec4710-3f45-11de-ae4f-00144feabdc0.html

The Food and Drug Administration has whacked General Mills for claiming that Cheerios lowers cholesterol and heart-disease risk, essentially portraying Cheerios as a drug. The FDA guy said flat-out: “The packaging clearly carries a drug claim.”

By itself, this is a tempest in a teaspoon.

But what does this tell us about the FDA's current thinking?

There is another product on our shelves, which the FDA could also, quite easily, declare to be a drug. If they did so, they could cripple a billion-dollar industry, and save thousands of lives, and billions in health care costs.

Cigarettes.

Nicotine is unquestionably an addictive drug, and if it were regulated as the drug that it is, the whole industry would be brought to its knees.

Whoa.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

TOO MANY BLOGS

HelloDollyLlama said...

Your point is a tad vague.

Michael the G said...

Steered her via Sadly No..... (NICE COMMENT DUDE er, Lady Dude?)

Having said,

The FDA has had their hands tied (like, by the Supreme Court http://www.fda.gov/opacom/campaigns/tobacco/default.htm as opposed to bureaucratic pissing match turf-wars)

regarding Tobacco AND Booze for that matter for awhile now.

Also...BLOGS BAD!!! Nnnnrrrahhhhh!!!!! (Rest in piece Phil Hartman as Frankenstein)

HelloDollyLlama said...

The Court ruling was rubbish and can be fixed with a simple piece of legislation (or, if Bush was still around, an illegal executive order).

Michael the G said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
HelloDollyLlama said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
HelloDollyLlama said...

Michael the G's post combines two Straw Man arguments, factual errors, and a personal insult aimed at the site owner. So that's what, five, six logical fallacies?

Don't fuck with Mister Zero.

Anonymous said...

Also got here via Sadly, No!

I think what is important is that the FDA even noticed. They as a Gov't agency are back to work, which is encouraging.

HelloDollyLlama said...

After eight years of Bush, I'm gratified that the FDA is even functioning. How low have our standards fallen.

Scott said...

As a California smoker, I'd just like to say two things:
a) Cigarettes are obviously, aggressively addictive, and anyone who argues otherwise is either being willfully stupid or has some kind of agenda to defend.
b) Give us smokers a break! The frickin' things are massively addictive, and maybe somebody else could get penalized for their vice for a change? Or find some way to swat big tobacco without screwing smokers with taxes again?

HelloDollyLlama said...

Get help and stop.

Want motivation? Tote up the amount you spend on it each month.

Like I should talk. You should see my beer bill.