Donut Mess with Dunkin’!
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has challenged Dunkin’ to prove the safety of its sugary, caffeinated beverages. However, fans in Massachusetts, where the brand is a staple, are pushing back against the scrutiny.
Even Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey joined in the debate with a bold response on social media, urging Kennedy to “Come and take it” after his announcement at a rally in Texas last week.
“We’re going to ask Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks to show us the safety data that proves it’s safe for a teenage girl to consume an iced coffee with 115 grams of sugar,” Kennedy declared during his speech in Austin, as reported by the Boston Globe.
Kennedy outlined actions taken by the Trump administration to improve American diets and hinted at future plans. These include proposals to ban ingredients unless providers can demonstrate their safety for public consumption.
During his speech, Kennedy specifically called out Dunkin’, a beloved institution for many in New England, expressing doubt that the chain could meet his stringent safety standards.
“I don’t think they’re going to be able to do it,” the secretary said.
Healey — who has surely enjoyed one of Dunkin’s old-fashioned donuts and a coffee or two during her long years living in New England — quickly roasted the Kennedy scoin over the call-out.
She posted an iteration of the famous “COME AND TAKE IT” flag on Wednesday, but had replaced the traditional black cannon with any good Bay State resident’s favorite artillery — a Dunkin’ iced coffee.
And many a Masshole joined her brigade against a possible Dunkin’ ban.
Some evoked their state’s history of protests involving favorite beverages.
“Maybe this regime needs to remember we take drinks VERY SERIOUSLY in New England,” one person wrote, alongside an illustration of the 1773 Boston Tea Party, where angry colonial rebels dumped cases of tea into the Boston Harbor in defiance of the English crown’s Tea Act.
Others joined in, saying the likes of “People will rise up if he does” alongside GIFs of colonists in tricorne hats while carrying torches and pitchforks. A few even posted versions of the famous “DON’T TREAD ON ME” flag doctored to read “DONUT TREAD ON ME.”
The full scope of Kennedy’s plan for Dunkin’ remains unclear, but it comes as he’s been pushing to establish an ingredient approval program called “Generally Recognized As Safe,” which evokes measures bi-partisan food-safety advocates have been seeking for years, the Globe reported.
Even while some on social media questioned why Gov. Healey was choosing to take her stand over menu items like Dunkin’s Triple Mocha Frozen Coffee — which has 165 grams of sugar in size large, according to the chain — many were thirsty to join the cause.
“Don’t you dare touch my butter pecan,” one person responded. “You hear me?”
Dunkin’ didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
