Starbucks will improve menu to fit ‘MAHA' initiative, RFK Jr. says
Starbucks' top executive has agreed to further align its menu with the Trump administration's health goals under its 'Make America Healthy Again' initiative, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Kennedy, who has been examining the nation's food system to address the root causes of childhood chronic disease, said in a post on X that he met with Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol on Tuesday, who 'shared the company's plans to further MAHA its menu.'
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During the discussion, Kennedy said he was 'pleased to learn that Starbucks' food and beverages already avoid artificial dyes, artificial flavors, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners and other additives.'
Starbucks said the meeting with Kennedy was productive. The company, which announced earlier this year that it was cutting 30% of its menu in order to simplify operations and drive innovation, has already been testing healthier drink options such as a sugar-free vanilla latte topped with protein banana cold foam.
3 Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol.
X/@SecKennedy
3 Starbucks said the meeting with Kennedy was productive.
Bloomberg via Getty Images
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'Our diverse menu of high-quality foods and beverages empower customers to make informed nutritional decisions, with transparency on ingredients, calories, and more. Plus, we keep it real—no high fructose corn syrup, artificial dyes, flavors, or artificial trans-fats,' Starbucks said in a statement to FOX Business.
Under the MAHA initiative, the administration said it would 'lead a coordinated transformation of our food, health, and scientific systems' that it believes will 'ensure that all Americans—today and in the future—live longer, healthier lives, supported by systems that prioritize prevention, well being, and resilience.'
3 Kennedy has taken issue with various ingredients, saying that products such as seed oil and FD&C color additives are harmful to humans.
NurPhoto via Getty Images
Kennedy has taken issue with various ingredients, saying that products such as seed oil and FD&C color additives are harmful to humans.
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Kennedy has specifically been working to cut out the color additives from the U.S. food supply, saying the 'poisonous compounds offer no nutritional benefit and pose real, measurable dangers to our children's health and development.'
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Kennedy and the FDA announced a series of new measures in April to phase out all petroleum-based synthetic dyes from the nation's food supply. Kennedy noted that this effort would need voluntary support from food manufacturers, but that the 'industry has voluntarily agreed' to do so.
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Two major food giants, General Mills and Kraft Heinz, pledged this week to remove FD&C artificial dyes from their respective portfolio of products within the next two years.
McCormick told analysts during its earnings call in March that it has been working with restaurants and foodmakers to reformulate products to remove certain ingredients like food dyes.
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Newsweek
29 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Is Health Care a Right? Trinity Health CEO weighs in
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Pulse Check Mike Slubowski is the president and CEO of Trinity Health, one of the nation's largest nonprofit health systems spanning 26 states with a network of 93 hospitals. This week, I connected with Slubowski to discuss the expected impact of proposed Medicaid cuts. For context, Trinity serves 875,000 Medicaid patients each year. If that enrollment is slashed by the predicted 12 percent, it would result in 105,000 fewer patients across the system. As it stands, Medicaid payments fall short of covering the system's costs by $500 million each year. The proposed cuts would add an annual loss of $600 million to that shortfall, according to data the health system shared with me. Here's what Slubowski told me during our Pulse Check. Editor's Note: Some responses have been edited for length and clarity. Mike Slubowski is the president and CEO of Trinity Health. Mike Slubowski is the president and CEO of Trinity Health. Trinity Health How do you foresee Medicaid cuts impacting Trinity Health's financial stability and long-term strategy? You can't cut billions from Medicaid and not affect people in the health of communities. Up to 10 million people losing coverage as a result of this is going to be devastating for our communities. We know when people don't have access to care, they forego preventive care and they end up in the emergency departments, which are already overflowing. It results in more costly care and interventions. Our calculations just on the House version—not all the stuff the Senate is now considering, which are even maybe more onerous for us—we estimate an [annual] impact of $600 million to our budget once implementation happens over the next couple of years. As a faith-based, not-for-profit health system, we don't set goals to earn big margins or profits. In fact, this year, we've been running at three-tenths-of-a-percent operating margin. 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The Hill
30 minutes ago
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Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
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