More than 1,300 people have complained to a website that tracks foodborne illnesses that popular Lucky Charms cereal with candy-like marshmallows has made them sick.
The high number of reports prompted the FDA to open an investigation, according to the website: Iwaspoisoned.com.
Earlier this month, after more than 600 reports were received, the site’s founder, Patrick Quade, said it was an unprecedented number of complaints for a single consumer product, according to Consumer Reports. As media coverage has increased, so has the number of reports on the website.
Reports are pouring into the site daily, with customers reporting similar symptoms including vomiting, diarrhea, bloating and cramps shortly after eating their favorite cereal bowl. Some people found that the symptoms stopped in the following days when they stopped eating the cereal, and others noticed that eating Lucky Charms made them feel nauseous, while other members of their household did not get sick from eating other cereals ate from General Mills.
The reports have not been independently confirmed. But the website has correctly identified food supply problems before health officials in the past, including outbreaks: at a Chipotle Mexican Grill in Simi Valley, California, in 2015; an Applebee’s in Michigan in 2016; a melting pot in Tacoma, Washington, in 2017; and a Jimmy John’s in Wisconsin in 2017.
The site has a note on the grain issue on its homepage, noting that the trend started in late 2021.
“We encourage anyone who has become ill after consuming Lucky Charms to report it and keep any leftover product for testing,” the website reads. “We will provide procedures for testing to anyone who reports their case.”
An FDA official told Consumer Reports he can conduct inspections of potentially affected facilities, collect product samples, and contact sick people. However, the agency declined to confirm whether any of those specific actions had already been taken.
The FDA has its own reporting system, which according to Food and Wine had received only three reports related to good luck charms and only one that was similar to the type of reports the third-party website received.
“Food safety is our top priority. We take consumer concerns that have been reported through a third-party website very seriously,” Andrea Williamson, a spokeswoman for General Mills, told Food & Wine. “Following a thorough internal investigation, we have found no evidence that these complaints are attributed to our products. We encourage consumers to share any concerns directly with General Mills to ensure they can be addressed appropriately.”
Website iwaspoisoned.com says its mission is to protect the public from foodborne illnesses, which kill 1 in 6 Americans each year.
“Large outbreaks can be deadly and each year these diseases result in an estimated 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths,” the website said. “Your report makes a difference.”
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