RFK Jr. Challenges Dunkin’ and Starbucks to Prove Ingredient Safety

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Massachusetts-raised Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has challenged the state’s beloved coffee chain Dunkin’ over the safety of sugary drinks, sparking a caffeinated showdown with the governor.

At a rally in Austin, Texas, last week, President Kennedy said he would focus on the sugar content of some popular drinks and pressure major coffee chains such as Starbucks to prove that their ingredients are safe.

“I’m going to ask Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks to show me the safety data that shows it’s safe for teenage girls to drink iced coffee with 115 grams of sugar,” Kennedy said. “I don’t think they can do it.”

This comment immediately caused a stir in my home country. Massachusetts Democratic Governor Maura Healey fired back at X by sharing a riff on the iconic 1835 flag, “Come and Take It,” first used at the start of the Texas Revolution.

Healey’s version replaces the original cannon with a black-and-white Dunkin’ cup, ironically defending the coffee chain’s place in Massachusetts culture.

Although the exchange took place online, with humor and community 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 on ensuring the nation’s food supply is “transparent and based on rigorous science.”

“Americans have the right to know what’s in their food and have confidence that the ingredients have been evaluated through a clear, science-based process,” the agency said.

RFK Jr. pushed to change the way Americans eat.

The Dunkin dispute fits squarely into Kennedy’s broader effort to reform the way Americans eat, a defining priority of his tenure at the Department of Health and Human Services.

The federal government released new dietary guidelines in January that focus on protein and healthy fats while significantly minimizing grains, marking a major shift from decades of nutritional guidance that once prioritized bread and cereals.

“My message as Secretary of Health and Human Services is clear: Eat real food,” President Kennedy said at the time, calling the shift “the most important reset in 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. Contact us at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow us at X @fern_cerv_.

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