Ever since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. landed in the U.S. Secretary of Health position, he’s been coming after unhealthy and processed foods. He’s made a push to phase out artificial dyes in our foods, as well as eliminate several food additives he claims we don’t need. Though some of his initiatives seem to reek of pseudoscience, others have people looking closely at what they’re consuming. Now, RFK Jr. is coming after Dunkin and Starbucks. The governor of Massachusetts, the state where Dunkin was birthed, has something to say about it.
In recent news, RFK Jr. announced that he’s going to investigate Dunkin and Starbucks. The reason why? According to a video posted by @nbcnews on TikTok, it’s because of the sugar content in drinks produced by these companies. Let’s be real here: People go to Dunkin and Starbucks to have a slightly expensive, unhealthy drink. But RFK Jr. wants this investigated to the fullest extent in the same way he came after Tylenol. He said at a recent rally, “We’re going to ask Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks, ‘Show us the safety data that show that it’s OK for a teenage girl to drunk an iced coffee with 115 grams of sugar in it.’” He then went on to add, “I don’t think they’re going to be able to do it.”
American foods are consistently under scrutiny, and for good reason. A lot of the artificial foods put out on the market are contributing to a variety of health problems. But Kennedy’s “reforms” sometimes aim to take away the choices Americans should be able to make about what they consume.
Massachusetts, especially, loves Dunkin, as the company was created there. In response to RFK Jr.’s attack on Dunkin, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey shared her remarks on X. Her hilarious reply was, simply, an image of a flag used in 1835 during the Texas Revolution. Instead of a cannon, it shows a Dunkin coffee cup with the words, “Come and Take It.” As an NBC newscaster said of RFK Jr.’s investigation, his push is going to be a total “flop” in Massachusetts, where so many people love Dunkin.
Time will tell what happens with this investigation and if it will change things within the two rival coffee companies. It certainly wouldn’t be an easy fight. As some commenters stated, “Does he know he can customize the coffees??” Another commenter wrote, “Btw this is the same party that got mad at Michelle Obama because she wanted kids to eat vegetables with school lunch.”
