Former first lady Michelle Obama announced the launch of her new food and beverage nutritional line for children on May 3, and conservatives responded with racist rhetoric on social media.
Obama announced the launch of PLEZi Nutrition on May 3 at the Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything Festival in New York City.
The product that is now available is a fiber-filled fruit kids’ drink, PLEZi, which has 75 percent less sugar than average fruit drinks. The four packs come in four flavors and are sold at Target, Sprouts and Walmart online.
Related: ‘No Margin for Error’: Why Michelle Obama Cried Uncontrollably After Leaving the White House, And It Wasn’t Because of Trump
Obama’s goal is to make the drink available everywhere sports drinks or sodas are sold to provide a better, healthier option, according to ABC News.
The 59-year-old “Becoming” author spoke passionately about wanting to transform the food industry by making healthier options for children.
“I’ve learned that on this issue if you want to change the game, you can’t just work from the outside. You’ve got to get inside — you’ve got to find ways to change the food and beverage industry itself,” said Obama. “I’m proud to announce the national launch of a company designed not just to provide better products but to jumpstart a race to the top that will transform the entire food industry.”
The Wall Street Journal shared a video of Obama announcing the launch on social media, and the majority of the comments by conservatives were racist attacks. Many of the responses mocked the former first lady and referred to her as a man. One response included an image of Obama’s face on top of a male body with the caption, “What’s in that food he’s selling?”
Another Twitter user with the name ULTRA MAGA Joey45 wrote, “That’s not a lady. Not like the ones I know and hang out with.”
“Our future transgender president,” added another.
“He certainly did a great job with school lunches,” wrote one. “That man is going places, echoed another.
“She is looking horrible. Is she sick?”
“No, she’s black,” one salty user responded.
“Manchelle,” added one. Another user wrote, “We need to know… do you have a penis?”
Other responses included eggplant emojis and called Obama “Magic Mike.”
“This comment section is disgusting,” one user finally replied.
FOX host Jesse Watters also attacked Obama during an episode of “Jesse Watters Primetime” and claimed she was “slinging unhealthy drinks” for kids with her “scam.”
“You know what drink tastes really refreshing and doesn’t have any of that? Oh, yeah – water,” said Watters. “But water doesn’t make you richer than your husband.”
Obama noted on her Instagram page that water was the healthiest option but also said that kids wanted a drink that tasted good, and PLEZi is healthier than sugary sodas and a more realistic choice once kids enter school.
“Make no mistake, water and milk are the best options for your kids,” she wrote. “And kids shouldn’t be regularly drinking anything other than water or milk until they’re at least five years old. But once kids become school-aged, drinking only water and milk isn’t a reality. Nearly two-thirds of young people are consuming sugary drinks on any given day.”
Obama launched the Chef’s Move to Schools program, pairing chefs with schools to create healthy meals for kids. She also started the Let’s Move! campaign to help get kids more active. In addition, her husband, President Barack Obama, signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act into law in 2010.
