Kimberly Von Randow ‘28
Opinions Editor
Politics has always divided Americans. Red states versus blue states. Liberals versus conservatives. But in New England, there’s one thing that unites nearly everyone: Dunkin’.
So when Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently suggested that companies like Dunkin’ should prove their drinks are safe to consume—pointing to the high sugar content in some iced coffees—the reaction in Massachusetts was swift and dramatic. With the amount of outrage online, you would even think that the British are back, selling us tea without paying taxes. But it’s much worse; this time the betrayal is coming from the inside.
The political response in Massachusetts only added fuel to the iced coffee fire. Governor Maura Healey jumped into the debate with a blunt message aimed at anyone trying to mess with the state’s beloved coffee chain: “Come and take it.” Much like the Texans refusing to give up their cannon in 1836, we will not stand silent to threats against our drink of choice. If you’re not from the region, this might seem like an overreaction. Though it shouldn’t, because we are all familiar with the phrase that “America Runs on Dunkin’.” But the coffee chain here is incomparable to any other in terms of cultural significance.
Drive five minutes in almost any direction in Massachusetts and you’ll pass at least one Dunkin’. For many people, it’s part of their daily routine: early morning commuters grabbing a large iced regular, construction workers stopping before a shift, students fueling up before class. It’s not a luxury brand or a trendy café experience. It’s familiar, affordable, and everywhere. It’s been the old reliable of working class America for decades and it’s not stopping anytime soon.
That’s why criticism of Dunkin’ feels less like a genuine health policy debate and more like someone messing with a local institution. How would you feel if RFK Jr. showed up to your grandmother’s house and demanded she prove “it’s OK for a teenage girl” to eat her sugar cookies?
In all fairness, Kennedy isn’t entirely wrong about the sugar issue. Some specialty drinks contain enormous amounts of sugar—sometimes more than a person should consume in an entire day. America’s diet, filled with ultra-processed foods and sugary drinks, is undeniably linked to rising health problems. But there’s a difference between acknowledging a public health concern and trying to police what people choose to drink. At some point, adults have to be trusted to make their own decisions—even if those decisions involve a caramel swirl iced coffee the size of a small bucket with enough sugar to take down a few diabetics.
Government officials warning people about nutrition is reasonable. Requiring clearer labeling or encouraging healthier, more affordable, options could also make sense. But framing everyday beverages as something companies must “prove are safe” risks sliding into something else entirely: the idea that the government should regulate personal choices that millions of people knowingly make every day. Who says he’ll stop at coffee? It’s likely that fast food chains and supermarkets could be next to undergo interrogation.
Of course, Dunkin’ drinks aren’t exactly health food. No one is claiming they are. But most customers aren’t under that illusion either. People know when they’re ordering something excessively sugary. They’re choosing it anyway. The real story here isn’t just about nutrition or public policy. It’s about how everyday habits become part of regional identity. For millions of New Englanders, Dunkin’ is intergenerationally woven into daily life in a way that’s hard to explain to outsiders.
So when a politician comes after Dunkin’, even indirectly, the reaction is predictable.
Because around here, you can debate politics all you want. But when it comes to iced coffee, the voters have already decided.
Featured image courtesy of Yahoo! News
Copy Edited by Sophia Mariani ’26
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