Lucky Charms has a legion of fans who think the colorful cereal is "magically delicious," but some consumers are saying they had a less than magical experience after enjoying the toasted oats and marshmallow bits.
The website IWasPoisoned.com features reports from more than 100 consumers who say they experienced gastrointestinal issues ranging from nausea and diarrhea to vomiting after eating the General Mills cereal, Food Safety News reported. The website describes itself as a “consumer-led website for diners to report suspected food poisoning or bad food experiences.”
"Have had abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhea for multiple weeks. I eat everyday Lucky Charms," one report from Hawaii reads. "Recently stopped eating them and I am starting to feel a little better. Still have abdominal pain."
"My son eats lucky charms a few times a week for breakfast," reads another report from New Jersey. "He’s been having stomach problems for about the last 4 months missing school from vomiting and diarrhea."
There has been no official recall of the products as of April 8, but General Mills spokesperson Andrea Williamson told TODAY Food that food safety is the company's "top priority."
“We take the consumer concerns reported via a third-party website very seriously. After a thorough internal investigation, we have not found any evidence that these complaints are attributed to our products,” she wrote in an email. “We encourage consumers to please share any concerns directly with General Mills to ensure they can be appropriately addressed.”
When it comes to matters of food safety, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) often updates its website with information about potential recalls/investigations. An FDA spokesperson told TODAY that the agency does not discuss the specifics of "possible or ongoing investigations" by policy, but shared the following statement via email:
"As we said, we are aware of the reports on IWasPoisoned.com and are looking into them in addition to information shared with the CFSAN Adverse Event Reporting System (CAERS) — (a) database that contains information on adverse event and product complaint reports submitted to FDA for foods, dietary supplements, and cosmetics," they wrote.
The spokesperson revealed that the FDA's CAERS data shows 41 reports related to Lucky Charms since 2004. There were three Adverse Event Reports in 2021 and only one seemed to be related to the IWasPoisoned.com complaints.
"Furthermore, the agency has received no calls at the FDA’s Food and Cosmetic Information Center related to Lucky Charms," the statement continued.