Quaker Agrees to Tone Down Health Claims on Oatmeal

The Quaker Oats Company, Chicago, IL, has agreed to drop certain claims on labels and in advertising that the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), Washington, D.C., says exaggerated the health benefits of eating oatmeal. Quaker will no longer describe its oatmeal as a “unique” whole grain food that “ac­tive­ly finds” cholesterol and removes it from the body. In addition, it will no longer display a graph depicting the cholesterol-lowering potential of oatmeal. In turn, CSPI says it will not file a lawsuit that it warned Quaker about in October last year. New copy on Quaker’s packaging and advertising will read: “as part of a healthy diet, the soluble fiber in oatmeal helps remove cholesterol” and “3 grams of soluble fiber daily from oatmeal may help reduce heart disease risk as part of a heart-healthy diet.” The changes are modest but make the new labels truthful, according to CSPI. The products included in the agreement are Old Fashioned Oats, Instant Oatmeal, Oatmeal Squares cereal, Oatmeal To Go bars, Take Heart and Sun Country Quick Oats.