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Kellogg’s Slapped by FTC, Twice, for Misleading Ads

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The Federal Trade Commission normally doesn’t get involved in misleading health claims for foods, it’s the FDA’s jurisdiction. But something in Kellogg’s behavior over the past 2 years must have really annoyed somebody at the FTC.

At first it was a health claim for Frosted Mini-Wheats, with benefits to“cognitive health”. The unsubstantiated claim was shot down by the FTC, but within a few months, Kellogg’s came out with its immunity cereal. So now the company is again in trouble:

Leading cereal maker Kellogg Company has agreed to new advertising restrictions to resolve a Federal Trade Commission investigation into questionable immunity-related claims for Rice Krispies cereal. This is the second time in the last year that the FTC has taken action against the company.

“We expect more from a great American company than making dubious claims – not once, but twice – that its cereals improve children’s health,” said FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz. “Next time, Kellogg needs to stop and think twice about the claims it’s making before rolling out a new ad campaign, so parents can make the best choices for their children.” read more…

What you need to know:

Health claims are an unfortunate extension of product marketing efforts that overlap scientific information provided to consumers on the nutrition facts panel and ingredient list of packaged foods. Fuzzy at best, they create a false sense of hope and add value to products that in some cases may merit it, but in many cases don’t.

Cocoa Rice Krispies are over 40% sugar by weight and contain trans-fat. How does that contribute to immunity?

What to do at the supermarket:

May we suggest ignoring the large font writing on food products, and sticking to the facts in the nutrition label itself.

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  • http://bakerymanis.wordpress.com andrea devon

    it’s just another example for everyone to stick to a whole-foods based diet… one that avoids overly processed and corporate funded food claims- and to follow michael pollan’s credo to not eat any food that makes health claims!

    i really enjoy all the info i get from this blog- i read it almost everyday… thanks! cheers, andrea

  • Jason

    Right, if you want a cereal that is truly healthy, head to the bulk bins in your nearest natural foods store and pick up some whole oats, rye, barley, buckwheat, spelt, amaranth, wheat, oat bran, wheat bran, wheat germ, muesli, etc. These grains don’t need unnecessary health claims. You’re also saving a lot of money on advertising and excess packaging.

  • bill

    Companies will continue to do the same thing until they’re faced with some harsh penalties. Imagine if the FDA ordered all Kellogg products to be recalled.

  • Heidi

    i have to admit i like frosted mini wheats but i certainly wouldn’t go for any claims on boxes these days without reading actual ingredients.

  • http://lifewithnature.com veronica (lifewithnature)

    It’s so sad to see that. Health claims should be made to help consumers to make better choices, not pushing sugar loaded cereals! And the worst is that the people who believe those flase health claims think they are actually doing something good for their health instead of the opposite. I wrote a post on how to read the nutrition labels. I thought at first that most people would know that, but it seems that many people don’t even bother to look at it.

    As you said, the best way to assess the health factor in processed food is to look at the nutrition label with the ingredient list. By the number of ingredients used and the calories, fat, sugars and vitamin content, it’s much easier to make an clear decision. Of course, eating whole unprocessed food, you know, the one that doesn’t come in a box, is the healthiest by far.

  • carol

    The FTC and FDA have overlap in this area, and it moves more into FTC’s camp when there is false advertising that can lead to unfair competitive advantage of one company over another.

  • http://www.livingitupcornfree.com kc

    I have a hard time believing that there are parents out there that are still buying processed foods because they believe it is healthy for their families, regardless of the marketing claims. Be honest, does anyone really buy any cereal from Kellogg’s because they think it is the healthiest breakfast option out there? Consumers buy that crap because it requires the absolute least amount of effort. Kids like it, no effort for parents, no time consumed with breakfast, get a few extra winks to combat that never-ending processed food fatigue, everybody’s happy. No one really believes that those synthetic vitamins and minerals are just as good as a home-cooked breakfast of whole foods, do they? Everyone knows those claims and enrichments are just there to assuage consumer’s guilt about sending their children off to school with nothing but empty calories in their bellies and starting them toward a life of ill health and diseases caused by poor nutrition.

  • Mendy Heaps

    I agree KC – and unfortunately the majority of schools do an even worse job than many parents when it comes to feeding kids! The lunches are usually not very healthy and lots of schools make a fortune selling junk food to students.
    I guess that’s how they pay for the books they use to teach proper nutrition in health class…

    • Snaverette

      What books?! In many schools they are skipping books and using more workbooks. The actual lesson is given by spreadsheet! Then again, that may just be done in urban districts.