THEY'RE MAGICALLY NUTRITIOUS
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Kellogg's 'Immunity' Claim Stokes H1N1 Ire
Company profiting from parents' swine flu fears, critics charge
By Sarah Quinn
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Posted Nov 2, 09 12:11 PM CST
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(Newser)
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Kellogg's claim that its cereal has immunity-boosting powers is a cheap way to capitalize on parents' swine flu fears, critics tell USA Today. "This one belongs in the hall of fame," says the director of Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. The boxes in question announce in bold type: "Now helps support your child's immunity." But the company says the cereal line has been in the works since before the swine flu scare ramped up.
"Kellogg developed this product in response to consumers expressing a need for more positive nutrition," a rep said. But either way, experts say cereal isn't the you from getting sick. "The idea that eating Cocoa Krispies will keep a kid from getting swine flu, or from catching a cold, doesn't make sense," a nutrition professor said. "Yes, these nutrients are involved in immunity, but I can't think of a nutrient that isn't involved in the immune system."