Customers Claim This Popular Cereal Is Making Them Sick

PEOPLE AROUND THE COUNTRY ARE COMPLAINING OF GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS AFTER EATING IT.

Cold cereal is a wildly popular breakfast choice in America. According to data reported by Statista in July 2021, 283 million of us pour a bowl to get the day started (compared with only about 50 million who don't). But lately, multiple well-loved breakfast cereal brands have come under scrutiny, with consumers complaining that these widely available and decades-old names are making them sick. Read on to find out the latest brand coming under fire and what unhappy customers say it's doing to their bodies.

READ THIS NEXT: If You Have Any of These Popular Peanut Butters, Get Rid of Them Now.

Thousands of consumers have complained that Lucky Charms has made them sick in the last year.
Jenniveve84/iStock

The latest wave of cereal complaints joins a slew of others connected with Lucky Charms cereal. Back in April, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it was investigating why hundreds of people said they became sick after eating it, according to a report in The New York Post. The agency's investigation involved testing samples of the cereal as well as visiting manufacturing facilities.

The Post initially reported that consumers complained that they experienced vomiting and diarrhea after eating the cereal; soon after, hundreds of people took to the website iwaspoisoned.com, which tracks foodborne illnesses, to share their own stories of being sickened. Some among the contributors even alleged that eating Lucky Charms caused their poop to turn green.

And by now, that number is in the thousands: More than 8,000 people claim to have been sickened by Lucky Charms over the course of the past year, according to The Post.

New complaints now claim that Cheerios is making people sick, too.
Shutterstock

This time, it could be Cheerios cereal that is giving people gastrointestinal distress, according to a growing number of consumers sharing their stories to iwaspoisoned.com, and cited in The Post. Like Lucky Charms, Cheerios cereal too is made by General Mills.

Cheerios is a massively popular and widely distributed brand, which dates back to 1941 and offers 20 different types. Complaints about them have appeared from all around the country. "About 2 hours after eating Honey Nut Cheerios I began to vomit and have diarrhea," one New York-based consumer wrote. "I thought it was a fluke but after getting sick the second time I knew it was" from the Cheerios. Other complaints similarly target gastrointestinal symptoms.

General Mills is responding to the latest complaints about Cheerios.
iStock

General Mills responded to the latest complaints about one of its most popular brands and indicated it has an investigation underway.

"Food safety is our top priority," General Mills spokesperson Andrea Williamson told The Post on June 9. "We take every consumer concern very seriously and are investigating this matter."

Further, she said, the brand welcomes customer feedback as the company digs into any available evidence in the matter. "We encourage consumers to share any concerns directly with General Mills so we can properly and thoroughly investigate," she said.

READ THIS NEXT: For the latest food safety and recall news delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.

Meanwhile, the FDA is continuing its ongoing investigation into Lucky Charms.
Shutterstock

Although the FDA is continuing its investigation into the cereal complaints from earlier in the year, the government agency says it has drawn no significant conclusions at this stage.

"We do not have an update on the ongoing Lucky Charms investigation," the FDA told The Post. "The FDA continues to take seriously any reports of possible adulteration of a food that may also cause illnesses or injury. As we continue reviewing and investigating these reports, we will provide updates as they become available."

READ THIS NEXT: Drinking This Makes You 3 Times More Likely to Get Dementia, Study Says.

Subir