Image by Mars / Kevin Dietsch via Getty / Futurism
From the jump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s alliance with Donald Trump has been fraught: the former hates fast food and artificial additives, while the latter is known for his love of burgers and Diet Coke.
Nowhere has that tension been more clear than in the newly-minted Health and Human Services secretary’s war on synthetic food dyes, which is his first battle in what he’s framing as a war to reconstitute the United States’ ultraprocessed food system.
As the New York Times reports, RFK is already encountering roadblocks from Mars, the manufacturer of popular snacks including M&Ms and Skittles, to his proposed dye ban. Several other major food companies, including Nestle and Kraft Heinz, quickly jumped on board — but Mars is signaling that it won’t remove the dyes without regulatory action.
And to get that, RFK will need the political clout of figures going right to the top of the administration. And on that front, unfortunately, he could be stymied by a simple reality: Trump is, on a personal level, very fond of colorful candy.
Earlier this year, Rolling Stone reported that Trump has been so obsessed with candy during both his presidential terms that he has demanded aides keep bowls and baskets filled not just with colorful M&Ms, but also Life Savers and Starburst, among other sugary morsels.
Just those three candies, for instance, already include a number of RFK Jr’s proposed food dyes, including Blues No. 1 and 2 and Yellow No. 6. As candy manufacturers told the NYT, there’s no simple solution to removing them: switching to natural dyes would overwhelm the supply chain, driving up prices and resulting in a less vibrant end product than the technicolor candies that consumers have become accustomed to under the modern industrial food system.
And Trump is serious about his confections. Despite never being a drinker, Trump has often jokingly called candy “my alcohol,” per Rolling Stone‘s White House sources, and has been heard telling subordinates to “bring me my alcohol!”
Beyond his avowed sweet tooth, which White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt affirmed after that RS article was published, Trump is also quite particular about his favorite colors of candy. During his first stint in the White House, the Washington Post reported that then-House majority leader Kevin McCarthy once had an aide pick out only the reds and pinks — though to be fair, the Red No. 40 dye that gives both those candies their radiant hues is not included on the health secretary’s chop list.
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