RFK Jr. questions sugary Dunkin' drinks, draws governor's defense

Fernando Cervantes Jr.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., raised in Massachusetts, is challenging the state's beloved coffee chain, Dunkin', over the safety of its sugary drinks, triggering a caffeinated showdown with the governor.

Speaking at a rally last week in Austin, Texas, Kennedy said he plans to press major coffee chains including Starbucks and others to prove their ingredients are safe, zeroing in on the sugar content of some popular beverages.

“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 drink an iced coffee with 115 grams of sugar in it,’” Kennedy said. “I don’t think they’re gonna be able to do it.”

The comments quickly drew a response back home. Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey fired back on X, sharing a riff on the iconic 1835 “Come and Take It” flag first used at the start of the Texas Revolution.

In Healey’s version, the original cannon was replaced with a black‑and‑white Dunkin’ cup — a tongue‑in‑cheek defense of the coffee chain’s place in Massachusetts culture.

While the exchange played out online with humor and regional pride, the Department of Health and Human Services emphasized that Kennedy’s challenge is rooted in policy. In a statement to USA TODAY, HHS said the secretary’s focus is ensuring the nation’s food supply is “transparent and grounded in rigorous science.”

“Americans deserve to know what is in their food and to have confidence that ingredients are evaluated through a clear, science‑based process,” the agency said.

RFK Jr. has pushed to change how Americans eat

The dust‑up with Dunkin’ fits squarely into Kennedy’s broader effort to reshape how Americans eat, a defining priority of his tenure at the Department of Health and Human Services.

In January, the federal government rolled out a new set of dietary guidelines that leaned heavily into protein and healthy fats while sharply minimizing grains, marking a major departure from decades of nutrition advice that once put bread and cereals front and center.

“As Secretary of Health and Human Services, my message is clear: Eat real food,” Kennedy said at the time, calling the shift “the most significant reset of federal nutrition policy in history.”

USA TODAY’s Mary Walrath-Holdridge contributed to this report.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @ferncerv.