[Infowarrior] - Kellogg's Marketing to Fear

[Richard Forno]

(the photo of the box is amusing --- it screams 'IMMUNITY', too!!  -rf)

Marketing to Fear: Cocoa Krispies Boost Your Kids' Immunity?

In the middle of the H1N1 influenza epidemic, Kellogg is marketing  
Cocoa Krispies, Froot Loops and other sugary cereals with claims on  
the box that the cereal "now helps support your child's immunity." The  
word "immunity" is printed on the box in a huge font, almost as big as  
the name of the cereal. San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera  
wrote a letter to Kellogg's CEO demanding evidence that the cereals  
really do help support children's immunity. Herrera points out that  
the company is playing to public fears about the H1N1 flu epidemic,  
saying "The immunity claims may also mislead parents into believing  
that service this sugary cereal will actually boost their child's  
immunity ..." Kellogg argues that critics of its immunity campaign are  
wrong, pointing out that the cereals contain increased amounts of  
vitamins A, C and E, which play a role in the immune system, and  
saying that "Kellogg developed this product in response to consumers  
expressing a need for more positive nutrition." Marion Nestle, a  
nutrition professor at New York University, author of Food Politics  
and other books about the food industry and nutrition, says, "The idea  
that eating Cocoa Krispies will keep a kid from getting swine flu, or  
from catching a cold, doesn't make sense. Yes, these nutrients are  
involved in immunity, but I can't think of a nutrient that isn't  
involved in the immune system." Professor Nestle wrote to the U.S.  
Food and Drug Administration protesting Kellogg's claims in August,  
but hasn't heard back, and FDA official are not permitted to discuss  
specific cases under consideration.

http://www.prwatch.org/node/8672