Food giant JM Smucker, is keeping a close eye on Trump’s new cabinet pick, RFK Jr. RFK Jr. has announced his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda which is basically a fight against ultra-processed foods. Many companies are getting worried especially the ones that make ultra-processed foods such as JM Smucker, which famously owns the Twinkie brand, as well as other notable brands such as Uncrustables, JIF Peanut Butter, and Dunkin, to name a few.
The CEO of JM Smucker, Mark Smucker, has said he doubts that people will stop eating ultra-processed foods but will try and work with RFK Jr. to see if they can limit certain ingredients without affecting their products. Their most famous brand is Twinkies, which has many additives and dyes that RFK Jr. wants to ban. These are the same additives that are also banned in Europe, but not in the United States for some reason. Mark also went on to say that drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have not affected their business in any way and that their brands resonate with American culture and people will continue to snack on their treats regardless.
This is fairly interesting since RFK Jr. still hasn’t been nominated in the Senate yet, but it’s good to see companies already keeping a strong eye on him. Defiant companies like JM Smucker see no reason to change their ways even though some of their ingredients are questionable. Mark is the first and only CEO who has directly called out RFK Jr.