US soft drink giant Coca-Cola says it plans to introduce a new Coke sweetened with cane sugar to its existing line-up , confirming a plan that President Donald Trump previewed last week.
The company already uses regular sugar to sweeten its signature Coke drink in many parts of the world, but in the US it has typically used corn syrup, a lower cost alternative, for decades.
Trump’s Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has voiced concern about the corn syrup’s health risks, though experts say there are no clear nutritional reasons to favour one sweetener over the other.
“This will be a very good move by them – You’ll see. It’s just better!” Trump wrote on social media last week.
In its quarterly update to investors on Tuesday, the firm confirmed it would “launch an offering made with US cane sugar” in autumn.
The company said the new product would “complement” its existing line-up, offering more choices to customers.
“We are definitely looking to use the whole tool … kit of available sweetening options to some extent where there are consumer preferences,” said boss James Quincey when asked about the decision. He noted that the firm already used cane sugar in several brands in the US, including lemonade, coffee and vitamin water.
Trump surprised many when he announced on Truth Social last week that the company had agreed to use real cane sugar.
The US president had previously raised the issue with the company’s boss in January, according to a recent book 2024: How Trump Retook the White House. The book reported that he put billionaire sugar farmer Jose Fanjul – a major political donor – on the phone to discuss the matter.
Trump touted the move on social media last week, writing: “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.”
At the time, a Coca-Cola spokesperson had said they “appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm”.
A product marketed in the US as “Mexican Coke”, which is sold in glass bottles at a higher price, also lists traditional sugar, not corn syrup, as a sweetener and has gained a devoted following since its launch in 2005.
By BBC News
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