Could ‘Make America Healthy Again’ impact restaurants’ bottom line?

The “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, led by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., aims to revamp the U.S.’s dietary guidelines and food industry practices.

Kennedy has repeatedly targeted ultra-processed foods as the primary culprit behind a range of diseases that afflict Americans, particularly children. He vowed in a Senate confirmation hearing to focus on removing such foods from school lunches for children because they are reportedly “making them sick.”

The former independent presidential candidate has also advocated for bans on additives like food dyes and is now encouraging fast-food chains to switch to using beef tallow, a rendered form of beef fat, instead of seed oils when cooking French fries. Kennedy has suggested that seed oil is “poisoning us.”

Many nutritionists consider seed oils healthier than saturated fats such as butter or lard, as they fall into the “unsaturated fat” category.

Steak ‘n Shake recently switched to using beef tallow — describing the move as “RFK’ing” its fries — and Kennedy wants more restaurants to follow its lead.

“We are poisoning ourselves. And it’s coming principally from these ultra-processed foods,” he told Fox News’s Sean Hannity, citing statistics on Americans’ high levels of chronic disease.

As for other popular restaurants, Popeyes uses natural beef tallow for its fries. Buffalo Wild Wings fries some of its menu items in beef shortening, and Smashburger uses a combo of beef tallow and canola oil.

While the trend is growing, the broader implications of the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative suggest that businesses may need to adapt to evolving health standards, which could include reformulation of products and new regulations. The shift to ingredients like beef tallow could impact businesses’ bottom lines.

Ethical and environmental considerations surrounding animal-derived ingredients like tallow may influence consumer perceptions and demand. For example, a switch to beef tallow could result in vegetarians no longer being able to consume certain menu items.

Another downside of beef tallow is its price tag.

Beef tallow is generally more expensive than most vegetable oils. The average price per kilogram of tallow is around $6, compared to vegetable oil’s $4 per liter, according to The Meat Inn Place.

Critics argue beef tallow’s high saturated fat content could increase heart disease risk and point to the American Heart Association’s recommendation to limit saturated fat intake.