Cereal maker General Mills Inc backed its earnings view for the full year, excluding a non-cash charge of $34 million it will take relating to the U.S. healthcare reform bill.

The passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will result in the company taking a charge of 10 cents a share in the fourth quarter, to adjust for the value of a deferred income tax asset, General Mills said.

Excluding this charge, the maker of Cheerios cereal and Yoplait yogurt still expects earnings $4.57 to $4.59 a share for the year.

Shares of the company were down slightly at $70.52 Tuesday after the bell. They had closed at $70.68 in regular session on the New York Stock Exchange.

(Reporting by Nivedita Bhattacharjee in Bangalore; Editing by Anthony Kurian)