Coca-Cola Responds to Trump’s Cane Sugar Announcement

Coca-Cola Responds to Trump’s Cane Sugar Announcement

Tech & Science

President Donald Trump says Coca-Cola has agreed to use real cane sugar in its drinks sold in the US.

Coca-Cola uses corn syrup in its US products, but Trump's Health Secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has expressed concern about the health impacts of the ingredient, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

"I have spoken with Coca-Cola regarding the use of real cane sugar in Coca-Cola in the United States and they have agreed to do so. I want to thank everyone in authority at Coca-Cola," Trump wrote on social media.

Without explicitly confirming the recipe change, a Coca-Cola spokesperson said they "appreciate President Trump's enthusiasm" and "more details on the innovative new offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon."

Trump said in Wednesday's post on Truth Social: "This will be a very good move on their part - You'll see. It's just better!"

While Coca-Cola sold in the US is typically sweetened with corn syrup, Coca-Cola in other countries, such as Mexico, the United Kingdom and Australia, tends to use cane sugar.

In April, Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey told investors that "we continue to make progress in reducing sugar in our beverages."

He said the Atlanta-based company has "done this by changing recipes, as well as using our global marketing resources and distribution network to increase awareness and interest in our ever-expanding portfolio."

But any decision to use cane sugar instead could leave a bitter taste for American corn farmers.

"Replacing high-fructose corn syrup with cane sugar would cost thousands of American food manufacturing jobs, reduce farm incomes and increase foreign sugar imports, all without any nutritional benefit," said John Bode, president and CEO of the Corn Refiners Association, in a statement.

The US health secretary and his "Make America Healthy Again" movement have demanded that companies remove ingredients such as corn syrup, seed oils and artificial colors from their products, linking them to a host of health problems.

Kennedy has also been critical of the amount of sugar Americans consume and is said to be planning to update dietary guidelines across the country this summer.

Trump is a regular consumer of Diet Coke - which uses aspartame as an artificial sweetener. He had a button installed on his Resolute Desk in the Oval Office so that he could be served the fizzy drink.

Tags

Related articles