Trump Says Coca-Cola Will Switch to Cane Sugar Instead of High-Fructose Corn Syrup
Coca-Cola apparently soon will begin using cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup to sweeten at least some of its beverages in the U.S., according to a social media post July 16 by President Trump.
“I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so,” said the posting on his Truth Social site. “I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them – You’ll see. It’s just better!”
Several media carried a response from the beverage company: “We appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm for our iconic Coca-Cola brand. More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon.” Soon apparently will be in its next quarterly earnings report on July 22.
We asked Coca-Cola for comment and will add it to this story when we get it.
Trump appears to be a fan of Diet Coke, not the high-calorie kind. On his first day in office, he allegedly had a "Diet Coke button" reinstalled on his desk, as he had in his first administration.
The sugar industry lauded price supports, marketing allotments and import restrictions in Trump’s “Big Beautiful [budget] Bill” recently passed by Congress. Also calling it “a resounding win for America’s farm and food economy” was Grant Colvin, executive director of the Alliance for Fair Sugar Policy, which is led by the National Confectioners Assn. and the Sweetener Users Assn., both of which represent sugar users.
But makers of HFCS can’t be too happy. Shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland Co., a leading maker of corn syrup, dropped from $54.02 on July 16 to $52.87 by 11 a.m. ET today. Ingredion’s was $135.32 yesterday, $130.41 today.
“Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar doesn’t make sense,” said John Bode, president/CEO of the Corn Refiners Assn. “President Trump stands for American manufacturing jobs, American farmers, and reducing the trade deficit. Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar would cost thousands of American food manufacturing jobs, depress farm income, and boost imports of foreign sugar, all with no nutritional benefit.”
Many grocers already carry a “Mexican” version of Coca-Cola sweetened with sugar – sold at a premium.
Not sure how this plays into the Make America Healthy Again movement. Sugar would appear at least a little less processed -- but not much less -- than HFCS, which recovered from a consumer backlash from about 2000-2014 or so. Calories are the same, about 4 calories per gram.
About the Author
Dave Fusaro
Editor in Chief
Dave Fusaro has served as editor in chief of Food Processing magazine since 2003. Dave has 30 years experience in food & beverage industry journalism and has won several national ASBPE writing awards for his Food Processing stories. Dave has been interviewed on CNN, quoted in national newspapers and he authored a 200-page market research report on the milk industry. Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter who specialized in business writing, he holds a BA in journalism from Marquette University. Prior to joining Food Processing, Dave was Editor-In-Chief of Dairy Foods and was Managing Editor of Prepared Foods.