Heartwise / Fiberwise
Gone by the mid-1990s. The Baltimore Sun still found it struggling on shelves in April 1994; by the FDA's 1998 ruling it had vanished. We anchor the end at 1995 — the exact year was never announced.
Last verified Nov 7, 2026
Kellogg's 1989 psyllium cereal promised your heart the world — until regulators objected to the name, and Heartwise became Fiberwise in 1991. Same flakes, humbler label, sinking sales.
📅 Timeline
- 1989Heartwise launched; Kellogg's trademark filing swears first use September 8, 1989.
- 1991Under FDA labeling pressure, Kellogg's announced on July 9 that Heartwise would become Fiberwise — same cereal, humbler name.
- 1994The Baltimore Sun reported that Heartwise had 'failed' and Fiberwise had 'not caught on' — still on shelves, but sinking.
- 1995Fiberwise quietly left shelves; no exit was ever announced, and the year is an anchor inside a documented 1994–1997 bracket.
- 1998The FDA approved the psyllium heart-health claim on February 18 — and it went on Kellogg's Bran Buds, years after Fiberwise died.
❓ People also ask
Why was Heartwise renamed Fiberwise?
The FDA objected that the name implied an unproven heart benefit. Kellogg's announced the change on July 9, 1991 — the product itself stayed the same psyllium-and-fiber cereal.
When was Fiberwise discontinued?
It was never announced. The cereal was still shelved, struggling, in April 1994 and long gone by the FDA's February 1998 psyllium ruling; 1995 is this site's disclosed anchor.
What happened to the heart claim it was named for?
The FDA formally approved a psyllium heart-disease claim in 1998 — too late for Fiberwise. Kellogg's Bran Buds, its surviving psyllium cousin, carried it instead.
🧾 Sources
- UPI, Kellogg changes cereal name (1991)
- The Baltimore Sun, General Mills sweetens deal: cuts cereal prices (notes Heartwise 'failed,' Fiberwise 'not caught on') (1994)
- Food Online, Kellogg's health claim for psyllium gets okay (1998)