President Donald Trump announced on social media that he has been in talks with Coca-Cola about bringing back real cane sugar in its US products. He claimed the company has agreed and described it as a positive move, thanking Coca-Cola for its leadership and expressing confidence that consumers would notice the difference.
Coca-Cola uses corn syrup in its soda, but amid concerns raised by US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, an alternative has been in discussion. A Coca-Cola representative stated that they "appreciate President Trump's enthusiasm" and that additional information about the new, innovative offers will be released soon, without explicitly confirming a switch to cane sugar.
This comes after James Quincey, the CEO of Coca-Cola, gave Trump a personalized Diet Coke bottle during his January inauguration. This tradition has been carried on since 2005 where commemorative bottles mark presidential transitions.
In April, Quincey stated that the company is continuing to make progress in reducing sugar across its beverage lineup. He noted that this has been achieved through recipe changes and by leveraging Coca-Cola’s global marketing and distribution networks to promote lower-sugar options.
However, American corn farmers may experience a harsh aftertaste if cane sugar is chosen in its place. John Bode, president and CEO of the Corn Refiners Association, warned that replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar could lead to significant job losses in American food manufacturing, lower farm income, and increase reliance on imported sugar—without offering any nutritional advantage.
The US health secretary and his Make America Healthy Again campaign have pushed businesses to eliminate substances like corn syrup, seed oils, and artificial dyes from their products. According to reports, he intends to revise national dietary guidelines this summer and has also been critical of the quantity of sugar Americans consume.
Back in 1984, US Coke switched to high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) which was significantly cheaper than sugar. The increase in sugar prices was due to the Reagan-era sugar import quotas. Now shifting to cane sugar for production recipes would significantly raise costs. Mexican Coke, made with cane sugar, sells at a high price (12-packs costing $15-$20) while the HFCS-sweetened Coca-Cola costs just $6.
Coca-Cola recently came under fire for its commemorative Trump bottle, which the media referred to as "peak spineless groveling." At the same time, it is considering using more plastic in the event that Trump's aluminum tariffs drive up the price of cans.
Simultaneous sweetener modifications could reduce profitability as Trump's aluminum tariffs threaten packaging prices. According to analysts, any switch to cane sugar would happen gradually, beginning with limited editions.
