Weasel Words and Cheerios

General Mills came under fire recently from the FDA for its claim that Cheerios can "lower your cholesterol 4% in 6 weeks."  The FDA fired off a warning letter to the company, telling them that such claims about the health benefits "would cause it to be a drug because the product is intended for use in the prevention, mitigation, and treatment of disease."  The problem, the government agency says, is that General Mills leaves out the fact that other sound eating habits, taken together, can also help reduce the risk of high cholesterol.

Because we have a box of Honey Nut Cheerios here in the house, I decided to check out how General Mills is faring with their cholesterol claims.  The back of the box is a fascinating study in persuasive writing; it is full of weasel words and non sequiturs that attempt to get readers to make the link between Cheerios and low cholesterol, without ever directly making the claim.  The headline at the top of the box loudly proclaims, "Everyone loves Lowering their Cholesterol! We asked you to tell us your Honey Nut Cheerios cholesterol stories and here's what some of you had to say."  Note that the stories are not expressly about lowering cholesterol; instead, they are merely stories, but the word "lowering" in the first sentence tries to get us to make the connection.  And I have to admit that a quick read of this box can be pretty persuasive.  But I did not do a quick read. 

Below the headline General Mills shares these four stories.  A close reading reveals that none of the four people tells us directly that Cheerios had anything to do with lowering cholesterol, but we sure are made to believe that the cereal did. For example:

• Dave R tells us, "I want to be around to see those little leaguers make it to the BIGS! That is why I made the right call by teaming up with Honey Nut Cheerios cereal in helping me keep my cholesterol in check and staying healthy on and off the field."   Well, for one, the word "help" is the classic weasel word; it is unverifiable and vague.  You cannot measure how much something helps.  Moreover, even the phrase "in helping" leaves far more wiggle room than "to help."

 

• Terry R says, "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and should be balanced, nutritious, and delicious.  That's why I eat a daily bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios cereal with sliced strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries." Here, cholesterol is nowhere to be found (it's actually two sentences earlier).  But we are left with the ambiguous pronoun "that."  To what does it refer?  The fact that breakfast is the most important meal?  Or that it should be balanced, nutritious, and delicious (whatever that means)?  The causal relationship--why Terry eats Cheerios--is never expressly explained.

• George says, "I have a poor family history of heart disease.  I find Honey Nut Cheerios to be a delicious way to help keep my cholesterol in check and have a great breakfast or snack food at the same time."  What's interesting here is that George does not say that Cheerios keeps his cholesterol in check, only that he "finds" it to be a delicious way to keep his cholesterol in check.  And besides, what does "in check" even mean?  Whatever you want!

• Charnita W tells us, "You don't necessarily have to be of age to be aware of your cholesterol count--especially if you're like me and high cholesterol runs in your family.  When my doctor told me that it was time to begin watching what I ate, it was a no brainer to pick up a box of Honey Nut Cheerios and include it in my everyday diet." So, sentence one says that you are never too old to watch your cholesterol.  Sentence two says that Charnita's doctor told her to watch what she ate.  This is a non sequitur.  The word "cholesterol" is mentioned in the first sentence, but its connection to the second sentence goes unexplained.  That's ok, though, because the memory of it carries us through the second sentence. Her doctor told her simply to watch what she was eating--a vague request that most doctors probably make anyway, but he did not necessarily make it because of Charnita's cholesterol count.  And notice that she never even says that her count is high. 

Comments

[Mark]

Great post Ben! I would say more, but I might sound like a cereal box!