On Fox’s Hannity, HHS Secretary Kennedy Hails Beef Tallow at Fast-Food Chain Steak ‘N Shake

By Adam Garrie, Breaking News Reporter, The Kennedy Beacon

On Monday, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became the first person in his position to be interviewed inside a fast food restaurant. He sat for an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity inside a Steak ‘n Shake in Florida.

The location might at first blush seem odd, but in fact there was a reason behind the choice: to celebrate the recent decision by Steak 'n Shake, a national fast food chain owned by a publicly traded company, to cook its fries, at all of its restaurants, with beef tallow rather than seed oils.

Beef tallow, which comes from the fatty tissue around a cow’s kidneys and other organs, is believed to be a more healthy choice with which to cook than vegetable oil. It contains less polyunsaturated fat than highly processed alternatives.

Kennedy, who appeared to enjoy eating the beef tallow-cooked french fries on camera, told Hannity that today 60% of adults suffer from diabetes or pre-diabetic conditions, while when his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, was in the White House only 3% of Americans suffered any form of chronic disease.

Contrary to popular belief, Kennedy does not want to abolish fast food or even popular snacks, even though he strongly encourages Americans to reduce their consumption of unhealthy foods. Instead, Kennedy is dedicated to addressing the underlying reasons why fast food and ultra-processed snacks have become increasingly unhealthy since the 1960s,

Starting in the 1980s, most major fast food chains began frying their foods in ultra-processed seed oils rather than natural meat-derived products such as beef tallow. This is one of the main reasons why today’s fast foods are less healthy than they were during the middle of the 20th century.

Kennedy explained to Hannity that the issue is not just one of public health, but also of economics. Moreover, he said, creating a healthy food supply chain is our national moral duty to our children and to teens.

The HHS Secretary said costs associated with treating diabetes and its related conditions are triple the amount of the entire military budget. Further, he said that the national cost of treating these conditions is higher than in any country in the world, with patient outcomes in the U.S. lagging behind other major economies, including Japan.

Kennedy assured viewers that while the U.S.has "the best medical system in the world…we are poisoning ourselves." He added that the main culprits are ultra-processed foods. While the cost of the diseases caused by ultra-processed foods is high, the cure is cost-effective.

According to Kennedy, President Trump wants to face down this problem with "radical transparency." The administration will incentivize companies to substitute ultra-processed ingredients with natural products, thus making the foods we are all familiar with healthier and, in most cases, taste better too.

The plan is already working. Shortly after Kennedy was nominated by the president to be the country's HHS Secretary, Steak 'n Shake committed to "RFKing" their food. The company's campaign regularly references Kennedy in a sign that his message is resonating with consumers. Kennedy admitted he found it amusing that his name is now a verb associated with healthier cooking.

Earlier yesterday, Kennedy had what was called a productive meeting with top executives from major food companies, including Kraft Heinz, PepsiCo, Kellogg's, J.M. Smucker, General Mills, and the country's largest meat packer and processor, Tyson Foods.

Kennedy and the president are using a combination of public information campaigns, transparent negotiations, and financial incentives to encourage companies to improve their ingredients. This is the opposite approach taken by previous administrations, which ignored the issue while allowing the costs of natural ingredients to rise compared to their ultra-processed counterparts.

During his discussion with Hannity, Kennedy said that other fast food companies, including Popeyes, have made commitments to transition away from ultra-processed frying oils. Other restaurant chains, including Outback Steakhouse, Buffalo Wild Wings, and Sweetgreen, have also made commitments to natural ingredients following the public enthusiasm for Kennedy's MAHA agenda.

Explaining that "food is medicine," Kennedy said that olive oil and butter are also healthy alternatives to ultra-processed oils, which led Hannity to admit that his own daughter recently threw out margarine and other ultra-processed items from his pantry – an example of how young Americans are leading the charge to help fellow citizens make kitchens healthier places.