(WJW) – Consumers are alleging a popular breakfast cereal is making them sick.
More than 100 people posted to IWasPoisoned.com, claiming General Mills’ Lucky Charms caused them to experience a variety of gastrointestinal issues. The site call itself a “consumer-led website for diners to report suspected food poisoning or bad food experiences.”
Consumers on the website complained of nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and overall feelings of sickness.
The Food and Drug Administration has responded to the reports, stating the agency is aware of the complaints and is looking into the matter.
The FDA has its own system to track consumer complaints, called a CAERS database. That database has received 41 reports related to Lucky Charms since 2004, the FDA said.
Only three of those reports were received in 2021 and only one was “related to the complaints listed in IWasPoisoned.com,” the FDA said.
In a statement sent to Nexstar, General Mills said it was taking the complaints “very seriously.”
“After a thorough internal investigation, we have not found any evidence that these complaints are attributed to our products,” said Andrea Williamson, a company spokesperson. “We encourage consumers to please share any concerns directly with General Mills to ensure they can be appropriately addressed.”
When the FDA starts an investigation, “Depending on the seriousness of the problem, an FDA investigator may visit the person who made the complaint, collect product samples, and initiate inspections,” the agency said in a statement.
In less serious cases, “or those that appear to be isolated incidents,” the FDA monitors incoming information and considers inspecting a production facility in the future.
“The FDA takes seriously any reports of possible adulteration of a food that may also cause illnesses or injury,” the FDA’s statement reads, in part.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to include a statement from General Mills sent to Nexstar on Thursday, April 7, 2022.