After receiving scores of complaints about potentially poisoned batches of the General Mills product, the US Food and Drug Administration has launched an inquiry into the popular breakfast cereal Lucky Charms. An FDA representative reported on Saturday that the agency had received over 100 reports of nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting from people who had consumed the product.
According to an FDA statement, any reports of probable food adulteration that could result in illness or harm are taken seriously.
Based on its investigation, General Mills claims that its product is not to blame for the diseases.
General Mills informed CBS News that it was aware of the FDA probe, but said it has discovered no evidence of consumer sickness linked to Lucky Charms in its own examination. Andrea Williamson, a spokeswoman for the company, stated in a statement: “Food safety is our top priority. We take the consumer concerns reported via a third-party website very seriously. After a thorough internal investigation, we have not found any evidence that these complaints are attributed to our products. We encourage consumers to please share any concerns directly with General Mills to ensure they can be appropriately addressed.”
The website IWasPoisoned.com began receiving reports about the Lucky Charms problems in December of 2021. According to the website, over 1,000 customers have complained of stomach ache, vomiting, diarrhea, and colored stools after eating the sweet cereal.
The FDA has not issued a recall for the cereal, and it’s still possible that the norovirus, which is circulating in the United States, is to blame for the outbreaks on its own. Consumers who have concerns about a possibly contaminated food product should contact the FDA and, if possible, save a piece of the unused food product so that it may be properly tested for contamination, according to the FDA.
