loopholes cereal

Imagine opening a box of Frosted Flakes and finding not a toy robot or glow-in-the-dark pen inside, but tampons and pads. That’s the prize that comes with every box of Loopholes.

No, Loopholes isn’t a real cereal brand. But the statistics its faux commercial brings up are.

Currently one in four teenagers who menstruate in the U.S. do not have access to period products, not to mention those who are homeless or incarcerated. And as the Loopholes website notes, these people are faced every month with the choice between buying food or buying pads or tampons, as no major government programs support period care. While, yes, the FDA does consider these items “medical products,” programs to help low income individuals such as SNAP and WIC classify them as “luxuries,” which puts them in the same category as pet foods, cigarettes and alcohol.

The federal programs do, however, cover food. Hence … Loopholes.