Trump says Coke in US will start using cane sugar

President Donald Trump said Coca-Cola will begin using cane sugar in United States Coke products in a social media post on Wednesday.

“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,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday evening. “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!”

The company currently uses high fructose corn syrup in Coke products, an ingredient that has been criticized for its highly processed nature. Corn syrup is a sweetener derived from corn itself. The ingredient is usually used instead of sugar because it is less expensive.

Cane sugar comes from sugarcane, which accounts for most sugar globally. Common granulated sugar is unlike cane sugar, as it’s more processed and removes the molasses flavor along with cane sugar’s rougher texture. It’s already used in Mexican Coke products.

Trump says Coke in US will start using cane sugar at george magazine — Coca-Cola cans move down a conveyor belt in the Swire Coca-Cola bottling plant on Oct. 20, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/Brittany Peterson, File)

The Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement, led by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has championed removing corn syrup, artificial food dyes, and seed oils.

Kennedy met with Starbucks last month to discuss efforts to “MAHA its menu.”

The secretary said he was “pleased to learn that Starbucks’ food and beverages already avoid artificial dyes, artificial flavors, high fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, and other additives.”

Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey told investors in April that “we continue to make progress on sugar reduction in our beverages.”

He said the company has “done this by changing recipes as well as by using our global marketing resources and distribution network to boost awareness of and interest in our ever-expanding portfolio.”

Other Coke products, such as Fanta and Sprite, also use high-fructose corn syrup.

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The top producer of cane sugar in the world is Brazil, according to a Department of Agriculture report. Cane sugar is also produced in the U.S. states of Florida, Louisiana, and Texas.

Trump has imposed a new 50% U.S. tariff on Brazilian imports starting Aug. 1. He famously drinks Diet Coke, which contains no sugar but is sweetened using the artificial sweetener aspartame.