Coca-Cola plans US cane sugar alternative after Trump push
"We're going to be bringing a Coke sweetened with US cane sugar into the market this fall, and I think that will be an enduring option for consumers," said CEO James Quincey on a call with analysts.
The company currently uses high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) for many of its US products — a sweetener that has long drawn criticism from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his "Make America Healthy Again" agenda.
Trump last week said that the company had agreed to use cane sugar in the United States version of Coke. "This will be a very good move by them — You'll see. It's just better!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Coca-Cola at the time did not confirm the move even if it said it appreciated Trump's "enthusiasm" for its brand.
In announcing the new option, Quincey insisted that the main Coke product would still be made with corn syrup, with the cane sugar version offered as an alternative.
Mexican Coke — which is made with cane sugar — is often sold at a premium in US stores and prized for its more "natural" flavour.
The US president did not explain what motivated his push for the change, which would not impact his well-known favorite beverage, Diet Coke.
Since his return to the White House, Trump has reinstalled a special button in the Oval Office that summons a helping of the sugar-free carbonated drink.
HFCS became popular in the 1970s, with its use skyrocketing thanks to government subsidies for corn growers and high import tariffs on cane sugar. Any shift away from corn is likely to draw backlash in the Corn Belt, a Midwestern region that has been a stronghold of support for Trump.
Both HFCS and sucrose (cane sugar) are composed of fructose and glucose, but differ at the structural level. Those differences don't appear to significantly affect health outcomes, according to research.
Trump's preferred Diet Coke is sweetened with aspartame — a compound classified as a "possible carcinogen" by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
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