General Mills is “misbranding” its Cheerios cereal as a drug by claiming it can prevent, mitigate and treat high cholesterol and heart disease, according to a warning letter the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent to the cereal giant.

The government agency is taking serious issue with a label on the cereal’s box that states it’s clinically proven that eating the cereal daily can reduce bad cholesterol by an average of 4 percent in six weeks. The FDA also indicated that the label inappropriately separates heart disease and cholesterol claims. Additionally, the agency warned that the General Mills website features other unapproved health claims.

The cereal manufacturer, however, stands by its labels. “Cheerios’ soluble fiber health claim has been FDA-approved for 12 years, and Cheerios’ ‘lower your cholesterol 4 percent in six weeks’ message has been featured on the box for more than two years,” General Mills stated in response to the agency’s criticism. “The science is not in question. The scientific body of evidence supporting the heart health claim was the basis for [the] FDA’s approval of the heart health claim, and the clinical study supporting Cheerios’ cholesterol-lowering benefit is very strong.”

The company said it planned to discuss and resolve the matter with the FDA. Perhaps over breakfast?