Source: Children’s Health Defense

When U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked if ultra-sugary coffee drinks sold at chains like Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks are safe for teenagers, the backlash was swift.

Massachusetts politicians and local and national media rushed to defend the Quincy, Massachusetts-based coffee chain — rebranded in 2018 as Dunkin’ — which has become a cultural institution in the state.

What didn’t news organizations mention in their reporting? In addition to its influence over Massachusetts media, Dunkin’ has a huge presence inside children’s hospitals, where the company markets its sugary and ultraprocessed foods to sick children.

Kennedy called out Dunkin’ and Starbucks last month at a rally in Austin:

“We’re going to ask Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks, ‘Show us the safety data that show that it’s OK for a teenage girl to drink an iced coffee with 115 grams of sugar in it. I don’t think they’re going to be able to do it.”

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey wasted no time defending the food chain. She posted an image of a Dunkin’ drink on X with the words “come and take it.” The image included a version of a flag resembling the one used at the start of the Texas Revolution in 1835.

No one is taking away your Dunkin’. But isn’t it reasonable to ask whether a drink loaded with 180 grams of sugar is safe? https://t.co/nV6KLOBf94

— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) March 5, 2026

Massachusetts-based media joined the attack.

CBS Boston posted a report interviewing teenagers about how much they love Dunkin’. Although the report conceded that sugar levels were high — one drink shown in the post contains 165 grams of sugar — CBS said the teenagers know exactly what they are ordering.

The Boston Globe ran an interview with nutritionists defending the drinks, arguing that most people do not order the most sugary options, that occasional consumption carries little risk and that demonizing sugar is a bad strategy for reducing consumption.

The Globe has long covered Dunkin’ favorably — even running feature stories on Dunkin’ ad campaigns. It even offered Dunkin’ Donuts gift cards with subscriptions.

Dunkin’ advertises in the paper.

National outlets jumped on the bandwagon. The Washington Post ran an op-ed called “In defense of sugar,” suggesting Kennedy planned to restrict consumer choice — despite quoting him saying he had no plans to do so.

Inspire Brands, a global private company, acquired Dunkin’ in 2020 in an $11.3 billion deal. Inspire Brands also owns Arby’s, SONIC and other fast-food brands.

The company also owns Baskin-Robbins — which is also sold in Boston Children’s Hospital and operates its own foundation: Baskin-Robbins Joy in Childhood Foundation.

Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation targets hospitalized kids

In Massachusetts, Dunkin’ isn’t just found on street corners — it has a prominent presence in hospitals throughout the state.

Dunkin’ has locations in UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Lowell General Saints Hospital, Tufts Medical Center and locations within the Boston Medical Center Campus, among others.

In some cases, Dunkin’ is the only food option available to visitors. Dunkin’s presence in hospitals is common across the northeast.

Dunkin’s charitable wing, the Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation, makes donations to hundreds of children’s hospitals and programs, and other nonprofits — like food pantries and camps — targeting sick or low-income children.

For example, the foundation has a longstanding relationship with Massachusetts General, to which it has donated over $625,000 for the pediatric program.

In 2021, Dunkin’ granted $1 million to children’s programs at Boston Children’s Hospital and Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital.

The foundation’s lists of grantees include children’s hospitals across the U.S., Boys & Girls Clubs of America and foundations targeting childhood diseases.

The foundation says its purpose is to “bring joy” to sick kids. But in exchange for funding those programs — which have distributed $40 million across the country since 2006 and $2.3 million in 2022 to 115 hospitals — Dunkin’ gets to market its highly processed, sugary products directly to at-risk children.

Getting the Dunkin’ brand in front of sick, impressionable kids — early and often

Dunkin’ programs bring dogs into hospitals, sponsor proms for teens who might miss them due to illness, provide hospitalized kids with video game access and fund play spaces in hospitals.

Images from the foundation’s annual reports show these programs targeting sick kids and teens are heavily branded with Dunkin’ logos.

People dressed as donuts appear alongside therapy dogs visiting children, life-sized donut characters interacting with children in play spaces — while the Dunkin’ logo is displayed prominently in all of the foundation’s activities.

Dunkin’ even brands the dogs with stuffed donuts.

Small donors to the program, who donate at least $16, receive Dunkin’ toys — a stuffed drink or stuffed chocolate frosted donut — to take home to their own kids, encouraging them to form an attachment to the Dunkin’ brand.

Research shows that the more high-fat, high-sugar, and salty junk food ads that kids and teens see, the more of those products they consume — and the higher the risk that they may develop obesity, Type 2 diabetes and other diet-related diseases.

That’s because kids, teens and young adults are in a formative stage of life, when they are highly sensitive to reward cues and peers.

They are also more likely than other age groups to respond emotionally to brand messaging that can influence their eating habits, preferences and long-term health.

Targeting kids in this way raises serious concerns about the purpose of these programs, nutritionist Daina Rasutis told The Defender.

“When companies selling highly processed, high-sugar foods actively market to children — including through programs that place their branding in hospitals — it raises ethical questions,” Rasutis said. She added:

“Supporting children in hospitals is admirable, but associating a brand built around sugary drinks and pastries with children’s health can send a confusing message. Kids deserve environments that reinforce habits that actually support long-term health.”

Neither Boston Children’s Hospital nor Massachusetts General responded to The Defender’s request for comment.

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The ingredients behind the controversy

Even many of Kennedy’s critics agree with his concerns about sugar and ultraprocessed foods. Research links those foods to obesity, metabolic disease and other chronic health conditions.

Dunkin’s ingredient list shows its products rely on sugar and highly processed additives, with ingredients like high fructose corn syrup, dextrose and maltodextrin — often all within the same product, Rasutis told The Defender.

“From a metabolic perspective, that combination matters,” she said. “These types of rapidly absorbed sugars can drive sharp rises in blood glucose and insulin, followed by drops that may increase hunger and encourage additional intake.”

“When this becomes a regular habit — especially in teens — it can contribute to insulin resistance, weight gain and long-term metabolic problems.”

Kids and teens who develop these problems are more likely to have them as adults, she said.

The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugar to 36 grams per day for men and 25 grams for women. Some Dunkin’ beverages contain four to six times that amount.

Many also contain industrial oils and additives such as soybean oil, palm oil, emulsifiers, stabilizers and preservatives.

“These ingredients improve shelf life, texture and sweetness,” Rasutis said. “But they’re not ingredients you would find in traditional baking, and research links them to obesity, metabolic disease and gut health disruptions.”

Pediatrician Dr. Michelle Perro, founder of GMOScience, told The Defender the ingredients list showed, “We have kids starting their day with 100 grams of liquid sugar, stabilizers, emulsifiers, and artificial flavors.”

“Secretary Kennedy simply asked these companies to show the safety data for their ingredients, which is something they’ve never been required to do,” she added. “The backlash says more about corporate power than public health.”

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