Affordability remains a major concern for many American consumers. New dietary guidelines shared by the Trump Administration have consumers concerned about even higher food prices.
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One Trump official’s response is being heavily ridiculed on social media and could show the White House being out of touch with prices and food habits.
Chicken, Broccoli, Tortilla: It’s What’s For Dinner
A new food pyramid from the Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. focuses heavily on proteins. With the rising cost of beef and some food items, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins highlighted how Americans can save.
“It can cost around $3 a meal for a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli, corn tortilla, and one other thing,” Rollins said in an interview with NewsNation.
Rollins said the Trump Administration is asking Americans to reconsider what they’re eating, but not asking them to spend more on their diet.
“There is a way to do this that actually will save the average American consumer money.”
A clip of the interview shared on social media has been viewed over eight million times and is generating responses from former and current members of Congress. Here are some of the responses:
“Americans don’t need tips and tricks to get by. They need groceries they can actually afford. Do the math — families are working harder and harder, but still can’t afford to get by,” former Congressman Colin Allred said.
“Due to Trump’s tariffs, last month was the largest spike in grocery prices in three years. So now this is what the Trump Administration suggests you can afford for a meal: ‘a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli, corn tortilla, and one other thing,’ Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) said.
“Could that ‘one other thing’ be wondering why costs have gone up so much under Trump that Americans are supposed to follow a chicken/broccoli/tortilla diet? (Is that on the menu at Mar-a-Lago?),” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) said.
“Trump gets a gold-plated new ballroom. You get a piece of chicken, broccoli, and one corn tortilla,” Rep. Jason Crow (D-Wisc.) said.
Several of the tweets featured images of how little food this actually is.
Other social media users highlighted a recent video montage shared by Kennedy that featured images of steak and fish. Rollins said there are some food outliers, such as beef, that remain priced higher.
New Food Guidelines = Higher Prices?
The new inverted pyramid from Kennedy prioritizes protein, dairy, fruits and vegetables at the top, while whole grains occupy the smallest space at the bottom.
“As Secretary of Health and Human Services, my message is clear: Eat real food,” Kennedy said, explaining that the changes are part of a reset for federal nutrition recommendations.
“Today, our government declares war on added sugar, highly processed foods.”
The recommended guidelines come at a time when food costs have risen for many consumers, making healthy eating more expensive.
A New York Post report showed the costs of goods from a Whole Foods store under Kennedy’s guidelines. The total cost was reported to be $175 per person per week.
This means that for a family of four, the annual food costs would be $36,400 ($9,100 per person). Depending on the two adults’ salaries in each household, food costs could increase to a larger share of overall monthly expenses.
Meat companies like Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN) and Seaboard Corporation (AMEX:SEB) could be potential winners given the focus on high-protein foods such as meat.
A focus on healthier foods could also put stocks associated with healthier food options into the spotlight, such as Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ:SFM) Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG) and Whole Foods, which is owned by Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN).
Recent polls have shown that the economy remains a major concern for voters. The comments and food suggestions from Rollins likely will do little to help with that concern.
Photo: Richard Semik via Shutterstock
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