{"id":1667676,"date":"2026-03-06T03:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/?p=1667676"},"modified":"2026-03-06T03:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T08:30:00","slug":"from-big-gulp-to-big-gasp-massachusetts-governor-fights-for-high-sugar-beverages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/from-big-gulp-to-big-gasp-massachusetts-governor-fights-for-high-sugar-beverages\/1667676\/","title":{"rendered":"From Big Gulp To Big Gasp: Massachusetts Governor Fights For High-Sugar Beverages"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Big Gulp To Big Gasp: Massachusetts Governor Fights For High-Sugar Beverages<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Authored by Jonathan Turley,<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Much of politics today seems to be driven by the source of policies. <\/strong><\/p>\n

If President Donald Trump or his administration is for it, Democrats are against it. Democrats have pulled 180-degree turns from\u00a0past support for unilateral military operations<\/a>\u00a0by Democratic Presidents to opposing government shutdowns. However, one of the most intriguing has been the opposition to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has launched moves against unhealthy food additives and products.<\/p>\n

That was evident yesterday when Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) virtually declared war over his effort to press Dunkin\u2019 Donuts and Starbucks over high-sugar drinks.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Dunkin\u2019 Donuts is clearly an iconic brand, but the lack of support for Kennedy\u2019s food policies is striking in light of the general support of Democrats for Big Gulp laws like the one in New York put forward by former mayor Michael Bloomberg (R).<\/p>\n

For the record, I have\u00a0long opposed<\/a>\u00a0efforts to ban unhealthy foods. While I strongly support educational campaigns by the government about such unhealthy choices, I believe that it remains an individual choice on whether to engage in unhealthy habits, from smoking to high-fat foods.<\/strong> I also previously wrote how I believe the Big Gulp law was unlawful. It was\u00a0later struck down<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In this country and\u00a0other countries, such as Great Britain<\/a>, similar measures targeting unhealthy foods have been rallying points for the left.<\/p>\n

Yet, Kennedy received pushback after announcing that \u201cWe\u2019re going to ask Dunkin\u2019 Donuts and Starbucks, \u2018Show us the safety data that show that it\u2019s OK for a teenage girl to drink an iced coffee with 115 grams of sugar in it.\u2019 I don\u2019t think they\u2019re going to be able to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Healey responded with a taunt, \u201cCome and take it,\u201d sharing\u00a0an image of a flag resembling the 1835 \u201cCome and Take It<\/a>\u201d flag first used at the start of the Texas Revolution.<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Kennedy is not necessarily calling for a ban.<\/strong> He has been pushing to improve the food-ingredient approval system by implementing reforms long called for by nutrition advocates. Much of this effort focuses on improving the\u00a0Generally Recognized as Safe<\/a>\u00a0policy. He has been attacking an exemption allowing food companies to independently verify the safety of food additives without the Food and Drug Administration\u2019s oversight.<\/p>\n

Kennedy has stated that this \u201cloophole was hijacked by the industry, and it was used to add thousands upon thousands of new ingredients into our food supply. In Europe there\u2019s only 400 legal ingredients. This agency does not know how many ingredients there are in American food.\u201d<\/p>\n

That would seem precisely what many liberals once heralded. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Yet, no democratic administration was ever willing to go head-to-head with these companies.<\/p>\n

Kennedy is doing what administrations like the Obama and Biden administrations failed to do.<\/strong><\/p>\n

However, he remains persona non grata on the left, viewed as a traitor as a member of a famous Democratic family who supported Trump. They would rather defend unhealthy food than a party turncoat.<\/p>\n

Once again, I generally oppose limits on consumer choices, preferring educational campaigns and healthy guidelines. However, the latest controversy only highlights the flipping of the magnetic poles in American politics.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tyler Durden<\/a><\/span>
\nThu, 03\/05\/2026 – 22:30<\/span><\/p>\n

\u200bhttps:\/\/www.zerohedge.com\/political\/big-gulp-big-gasp-massachusetts-governor-fights-high-sugar-beverages<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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