Lucky Charms Under Investigation by FDA For Making People Magically Delirious

Cereal lovers, beware: there’s something amiss about one of your favorite breakfast brands. If you are one of the unlucky ones to have picked up a box of Lucky Charms lately, you might want to consider throwing it out. That’s because the FDA is currently investigating the Leprechaun-themed marshmallow cereal due to claims that it’s making people sick.

Hundreds of people have fallen ill after ingesting the General Mills-made cereal in both the original and chocolate varieties. A website called iwaspoisoned.com that tracks foodborne illnesses received over 400 complaints about Lucky Charms, including claims that people had flu-like symptoms, including diarrhea, vomiting, and nausea after downing a bowl of the sugary stuff. Others cited symptoms like stomach cramps and bloating. Some even swore their poop turned green! (Magically delicious, indeed?)

“The FDA takes seriously any reports of possible adulteration of a food that may also cause illnesses or injury,” an FDA spokesperson said in a statement. “Depending on the seriousness of the problem, an FDA investigator may visit the person who made the complaint, collect product samples, and initiate inspections.”

General Mills doesn’t seem to believe there’s anything wrong with the cereal, but admitted there was an “ongoing review” of the issue.

While cereal seems like an unlikely source of food poisoning (usually produce like lettuce or fruit are the culprits), iwaspoisoned.com states, “It is possible to get sick from cereal. In 2018 Quaker Oats recalled Capn’ Crunch due to a Salmonella outbreak that infected 135 people. In 2010 Kellogg’s recalled 28 million boxes of cereal due to ‘off-flavor and smell’ and the possibility of symptoms, including nausea and diarrhea.”

In other words, consume those addictively tasty marshmallows and oat pellets at your own risk. As for us, we love stuffing our faces with Lucky Charms so much it might be worth the pain.

Cover Photo: Boston Globe / Contributor (Getty Images)