They want to keep feeding their kids Kraft mac n cheese

the left doesn't like local farmers anymore

Good morning everyone.

A lot of you have requested my take on the Iran/Israel/America situation, so today I am going to delve into the escalating war. Just kidding. Nobody asked for my take. I am just going to keep writing about food and nutrition.

Today’s newsletter includes:

• Starbucks’ new protein cold foam

• The oppression MAHA is putting on mothers

• Kraft drops the synthetic dyes

Grande protein cold brew, please: Starbucks is set to debut a banana-flavored “proprietary unsweetened protein” cold brew in the coming weeks. As a brand known for setting cultural trends with its coffee creations (see: unicorn frap), Starbucks also sometimes misses the mark (see: olive oil coffee).

Will this banana protein drink become the talk of summer? The official drink of influencers? My guess: hard no. Banana protein gives off a distinctive desperation that says “I need this summer to end” rather than endless summer.

To zoom out for a second: this is part of a larger trend in the food and beverage world. Consumers want more protein. I love this. But I hate that most of that protein is coming from Big Food. Get your protein from a rancher, not from Starbucks.

Lastly, but my family’s coffee shop—Fiddlers Coffee—has been serving (healthy!) protein cold brew for at least five summers now. I could be mad Starbucks stole our idea, but I guess imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

SELF Magazine bravely uncovered the truth: MAHA is actually a front for a patriarchal movement. I knew this day would come. I warned the other men behind the plot that the media would eventually catch on to our real agenda. But did they listen? Of course not.

And now we’ve been exposed. SELF never misses.

The article basically alleges that MAHA’s central conviction—that food should nourish rather than sicken—will place such an unfair burden on mothers that it could drive them from the C-suite back to the kitchen.

I asked my sisters—who are both amazing moms—what they thought about the article. Here’s Liddy’s take:

Here are Lila’s thoughts (you can always count on her for a take):

The article also reads like a hit piece on local farmers and a love letter to Big Food: “Opting to source food fully outside the commercial system, like from a neighbor’s small-scale hobby farm, may even risk your health,” it warns.

“Ultimately, we have a bunch of Big Farm innovations to thank for making it safer, easier, and more cost-effective to feed the masses—including the advent of, yes, pesticides and fertilizers that have made crops far more resilient.”

This is wild to me. Liberals used to be the original whistleblowers against America’s ultra-capitalistic food and agricultural systems. But now? The left is out here defending corporate corruption and synthetic fertilizers—like glyphosate—which this article bends over backward to protect.

If you want to know what political rock bottom looks like, it’s defending glyphosate, a chemical that’s already cost Monsanto $11 billion in cancer-related settlements.

I also think it’s worth calling out the media for stirring up unnecessary—and genuinely harmful—division, a trait they so often criticize in the president. If we can’t all agree that supporting local farmers and cooking real food is universally good, then I’m not sure what’s left to agree on.

Speaking of Kraft: Lilja will be happy to know they’re phasing out synthetic dyes in products like Jell-O and Kool-Aid.

I always love reading these food companies’ PR statements when they start moving toward more natural ingredients. In the same breath they somehow mange to say, “Our products have always been safe!” and “We’re thrilled to be transitioning to safer ingredients.”

Despite what SELF might say, this another win for Americans’ health.

P.S. Don’t forget to order your 🇺🇸🧈🇺🇸✨🇺🇸 Running On Butter merch 🇺🇸🧈🇺🇸✨🇺🇸 so it arrives before the 4th of July.