RFK Targets Starbucks and Dunkin' With Remarks on Sugary Iced Drinks - Fresh Cup

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Customizable, syrup-heavy beverages are increasingly popular. Starbucks, Dunkin’, and other chains regularly menu items with names like the Banana Puddin’ Cloud Latte or the Iced Ube Coconut Macchiato, which may have some coffee but are more focused on the added flavors.

Brands like Dutch Bros have built an entire business model on selling colorful concoctions, with menu options having high levels of sugar. A large (32 ounce) iced Poppin’ Boba Fire Lizard Rebel drink has 102 grams of sugar, while the Picture Perfect Freeze contains 142 grams. For reference, the American Heart Association recommends people cap their daily sugar intake between 25 to 36 grams.

These kinds of drinks have now caught the attention of the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

In a speech at an event called the Eat Real Food Rally in Texas last week, Kennedy spoke about the prevalence of sugary drinks at coffee shops, singling out Starbucks and Dunkin’: “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. I don’t think they’re gonna be able to do it.”

Kennedy’s comments stem from his Make America Healthy Again agenda. The Health Secretary claims to want to encourage Americans to eat healthier and has discussed loopholes, such as GRAS (“generally recognized as safe”), which allow companies to determine if additives are safe without formal FDA approval. However, Kennedy, who is not a physician, has also used the MAHA movement to promote anti-vaccine views and spread misinformation about childhood diseases.

The administration declined to say whether Kennedy’s remarks could lead to restrictions on sugary beverages, Tal Kopan reports for the Boston Globe.

But it’s fair to say his criticism of Dunkin’ has not gone down well in the brand’s New England home. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey posted a “come and take it” meme in response to Kennedy’s remarks. Responding to the Boston Globe’s reporting that Kennedy may try to ban ingredients that cannot be proven safe, including those from Dunkin’, Massachusetts Rep. Richard E. Neal tweeted that this was a “wicked bad idea.”

Other social media users referenced the Boston Tea Party, implying they would stand up for Dunkin’ with protest actions similar to those taken by colonists against the British when it taxed tea, a pivotal moment in the lead-up to the American Revolution. “The Boston Tea Party walked so the Boston Iced Coffee Party could run,” one user tweeted.

Read more on the sugary squabble here.

Photo by Angelica Reyes on Unsplash