Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to make inroads with the food industry, meeting up with Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol earlier this week.
On Wednesday, Kennedy hosted Niccol in D.C., where the two men discussed the options at Starbucks. According to Kennedy, Niccol pledged “to further MAHA its menu.”
‘Our diverse menu of high-quality foods and beverages empower[s] customers to make informed nutritional decisions.’
Kennedy also congratulated the coffee giant for offering so many items featuring natural ingredients. “I was pleased to learn that Starbucks’ food and beverages already avoid artificial dyes, artificial flavors, high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and other additives,” he said in an X post on Wednesday.
A representative from Starbucks confirmed to several outlets that Niccol and Kennedy had a productive meeting.
“Our diverse menu of high-quality foods and beverages empower[s] 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,” the company said in a statement, according to Fox Business.
Kennedy has been on a tear lately, railing against the harmful effects of artificial food and beverage additives, especially artificial colorings. In April, his department and the Food and Drug Administration revealed a plan to phase out all petroleum-based synthetic dyes from America’s food supply.
Starbucks has also announced several health-related changes in the last year. In November, the company decided to end the practice of charging extra for non-dairy milk. Then two months later, it began permitting customers to adjust the sweetness level in their matcha beverages.
Earlier this month, Starbucks revealed that a protein cold foam was undergoing testing and could soon be available. Niccol claimed he was inspired with the idea after watching Starbucks patrons adding protein powder to their purchases.
“I’m like, well, wait a second, we can make this experience better for them,” he recalled, according to Axios.
Niccol told the outlet that the protein cold foam is not “years away” but “months away.”
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