Kellogg Co. removes immunity claim from Rice and Cocoa Krispies

If you’ve seen the claim on your box of Rice Krispies or Cocoa Krispies–“Now helps support your child’s immunity”–you might think serving these cereals to your family would arm them with one more layer of protection this cold and flu season. But claims such as these have come under scrutiny from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Last Wednesday, Kellogg Co., the cereals’ manufacturer, decided to remove the immunity statements from those packages.

In a press release issued November 4, 2009, Kellogg’s noted that the company began adding antioxidants to their cereal in 2008 in response to parents’ desire for more nutrition in kids’ cereal. Though antioxidants can help support the immune system, parents need to do more than feed their children cereal to build their immunity.

Some ways to help protect your child’s immunity include helping your child maintain a heathy weight, making sure your child’s immunizations are up to date, keeping the germs in your home under control, checking that their daycare or pre-school maintains good preventive hygiene, and staying in-the-know about swine flu.

--Artemis DiBenedetto, Web associate editor