“Trump Derangement Syndrome has so debilitated Erin Burnett that she has abandoned both common sense and basic arithmetic,” the Health and Human Services secretary wrote
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NEED TO KNOW
- Robert F. Kennedy Jr. criticized CNN’s Erin Burnett for questioning the affordability of his $20 family meal recipes, which he shows on his new cooking show
- A CNN report found the total cost of ingredients for one of Kennedy’s recipes exceeded $70 at a chain grocery store, while it was advertised as costing $20 to feed a family of four
- Kennedy defended his cooking show’s cost methodology, saying it uses prorated ingredient pricing for affordability
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is lashing out at CNN anchor Erin Burnett after her show reported that his “affordable” meal plans were more expensive than he claimed.
Following a Wednesday, Aug. 19 report from Erin Burnett OutFront correspondent Tom Foreman about Kennedy’s purported affordable recipes from his cooking series, The Real Food Show, the secretary of Health and Human Services wrote that “Trump Derangement Syndrome has so debilitated @ErinBurnett that she has abandoned both common sense and basic arithmetic.”
“CNN wants us to incorporate the full package price of every ingredient, regardless of what is used in the recipe,” Kennedy, 72, posted on X, replying to a video of Foreman’s news segment. “If you put a squirt of ketchup on your burger, would you be surprised if the restaurant charged you for the whole bottle?”
“The Real Food Show uses standard recipe costing: we count what the recipe actually uses. The rest stays in your kitchen for the next meal—and the meals after that,” the post continued, sharing that the show’s goal was to “help Americans reclaim their kitchens, cook healthy food without breaking the bank, and stock their pantries with high-quality ingredients they can use again and again.”
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In his report, Foreman followed one of the recipes featured on Kennedy’s cooking show and checked out the pricing, as the health secretary claimed in a recent episode featuring California-based chef Andrew Gruel that dinner for a family of four, including crispy salmon cakes with an apple, white bean and greens salad, would cost just $19.64.
However, the OutFront piece reported that all of the necessary groceries and ingredients at a chain store would cost $70.54. According to Foreman, the costs discussed by RFK Jr. in the episode included prorated ingredients — such as one egg rather than an entire carton, or just eight cents for part of an onion.
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“They’re only pricing parts of it, and grocery stores don’t sell things that way,” Foreman said.
“HHS insists this is standard recipe-costing methodology, and they want to help Americans stock up on high-quality ingredients they can use across many meals,” he added.
In his three-minute segment, Foreman bought the necessary ingredients and prepared the recipe according to The Real Food Show’s instructions.
“It is certainly tasty, and it appears health,” he said, before noting, “I do not see, having made this, how you can walk into a grocery store with $20 and come out with this.”
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services secretary announced on July 30 that he would be hosting a cooking show “inspired by” the Trump Administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) initiative.
The Real Food Show said at the time it would focus on “cooking real food at affordable prices,” per the department’s website.
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According to the website, the series will emphasize simplicity and accessibility with healthy, affordable cooking. The description promises “budget-friendly recipes and easy cooking techniques,” along with nutritional advice for families.
“Secretary Kennedy is bringing the Dietary Guidelines for Americans to life and showing that cooking with real food can be practical, approachable, and affordable for every family,” the show’s description reads, referring to Kennedy’s new nutritional guidelines launched in January that advised Americans to prioritize foods like steak, whole milk, cheese and vegetables at the top of the food pyramid, while encouraging them to limit intake of highly processed foods and added sugar.
Although the organizations such as the American Heart Association stated that they approved of the guideline’s recommendations to eat more fruits and vegetables and whole grains, health experts also stated they were “concerned that recommendations regarding salt seasoning and red meat consumption could inadvertently lead consumers to exceed recommended limits for sodium and saturated fats, which are primary drivers of cardiovascular disease.”
In a press briefing at the time he announced the guidelines, Kennedy said, “My message is clear: Eat real food.”
“The new guidelines recognize that whole, nutrient-dense food is the most effective path to better health and lower health care costs,” he continued. “The new framework centers on protein and healthy fats, vegetables, fruits and whole grains. It’s upside down, a lot of people say. It was actually upside down before.”
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