Oct. 13, 2009 (United Press International) -- The Obama administration is ramping up the federal government's regulatory functions, especially in the consumer and worker protection fields, officials say.

One example was a warning by the Food and Drug Administration to General Mills (NYSE:GIS) about its claims that its Cheerios cereal can lower cholesterol by 4 percent, which FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg and deputy Joshua Sharfstein say amount to making a drug claim that needs to be verified by studies, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.

"Companies must have a realistic expectation that if they are crossing the line, they will be caught, and that if they fail to act ... we will," the newspaper quoted Hamburg as telling a gathering of lawyers representing food and drugmakers in August.

"We are enforcing the law; that's what we do," added new Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Inez Moore Tenenbaum, who told the Times her top priority is to put into force a complicated law that some say will implement the strongest consumer protections seen in a generation.

The Post also said acting Occupational Safety and Health Administration head Jordan Barab has drawn industry opposition by reviving controversial rules to protect workers from repetitive-strain injuries.