The FDA Is Investigating Reports Of Sickness Linked To Lucky Charms Cereal

Lucky Charms may be magically delicious for its fans, but various media reports, including Today, say the sparkle appears to have dimmed for more than a hundred consumers who fell ill after eating the cereal.

The site IWasPoisoned.com shares that, since late 2021, it has received reports from people claiming to have come down with gastrointestinal problems after eating Lucky Charms, with symptoms that range from nausea and bloating to vomiting and diarrhea. One user recently reported, "My 3 year old has been complaining about stomach pains for about a week. The only link I see now is Lucky Charms because she It's [sic] it every day. I ate some yesterday and have had terrible stomach pains, bloating, gas and diarrhea. | Symptoms: Diarrhea, Bloating, Stomach Pain, Gas." 

Another said: "Was eating lucky charms my stomach had pains then diarrhea but I didn't know it was from lucky charms so I decided to just eat lucky charms dry I figured that can't hurt me, what a mistake I also broke out in a rash and itchy | Symptoms: Diarrhea, Stomach Pain."

IWasPoisoned.com founder Patrick Quade told Consumer Reports that the complaints linked to Lucky Charms have been "unprecedented in the over 10-year history of the website."

The Lucky Charms cases appear to be credible enough for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to say it was "aware of reports and is looking into the matter." 

The FDA also told Food Safety News: "The FDA takes seriously any reports of possible adulteration of a food that may also cause illnesses or injury. Depending on the seriousness of the problem, an FDA investigator may visit the person who made the complaint, collect product samples, and initiate inspections." This said, the agency also made it clear that it has thus far not received any calls or complaints.

Consumer Reports has also reached out to General Mills about Lucky Charms. The company says it has found nothing to indicate that the incidents were related to their products, adding, "We encourage consumers to please share any concerns directly with General Mills to ensure they can be appropriately addressed."  The group's director of food safety and testing, James E. Rogers, Ph.D., now recommends that consumers pick other cereals until more information emerges.

Since IWasPoisoned.com has actually accurately predicted food poisoning outbreaks before, it might be wise to follow that advice.