HEalth Issue: Nestle's Boost kid Essentials drink

Nestle' drink to drop health benefit claims       According to a recent Nestle' ad campaign aimed at parents, a drink called Boost kd Essentials was so good for children tht it could keep them from getting colds and missing school.      But on Wednesday, the Federa Trade Commission said the ads were deceptive and announced that Nestle had agreed to stop making the claims. The move was aimed at deceptive advertising by a major food manufacturer for products meant for children. A commission official said that the agency was taking a close look at the proliferating number of health claims made for all types of products on supermarket shelves.      "Food companies are marketing more of what they call functional foods," said Karen Mandel, a staff lawyer for the trade commission. "If the claims are not substantlated, that's what we're looking for. to make sure the claims are truthful," Mandel said. The action on Wednesday involved Boost Kid Essentials, a nutrient-laden beverage made by Nestle HealthCare Nutrition that comes with a straw containing probiotic bacteria, which is similar to the live cultures in yogurt. Many people say theybelieve that probiotic bacteria aid digestion and provide other benefits.       According to the commission, the television and magazine ads and the website and packaging for Boost Kid Essentials made a series of claims that the probiotics in the straw could strengthen children's immune systems, protecting them from colds and diarrhea and keeping them from missing school. But the commission said there was not enough scientific evidence to back up the claims.