President Donald Trump late Wednesday said he had sweet-talked Atlanta beverage giant Coca-Cola into changing a key soda ingredient.
“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, a noted Diet Coke drinker, said on his social media platform Truth Social. He then thanked the company. “This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!”
But a day later, it was still not clear exactly what Coca-Cola might do. A company spokesperson did not confirm the change but teased “new innovative offerings.”
Coca-Cola has used high fructose corn syrup in many of its U.S.-made sodas since the 1980s, said Duane Stanford, editor and publisher of trade publication Beverage Digest. In other countries, such as Mexico and India, the company uses cane sugar. The Mexican version of flagship Coke is available in tall glass bottles in many stores in the United States.
Stanford was skeptical of a widespread change, which would require reengineering a massive supply chain.
“It’s unclear the scale of what Trump is pushing for here, but a wholesale conversion would be complex and unlikely,” Stanford said. Perhaps, he said, Coca-Cola would consider a new product that contains cane sugar, such as its competitor’s “Pepsi Real Sugar.”
Coke defends corn syrup
In a social media post just hours after Trump’s announcement, Coca-Cola defended its use of high fructose corn syrup. The company was responding to a Fox News post that said Trump’s announcement was “a new win for the ‘MAHA’ movement.” That refers to the administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, which is pressuring companies to remove ingredients such as artificial dyes.
Coca-Cola on X, formerly Twitter, said that although the name sounds complex, high fructose corn syrup is a sweetener made from corn. “It’s safe; it has about the same number of calories per serving as table sugar and is metabolized in a similar way by your body,” the company said. “Please be assured that Coca-Cola brand soft drinks do not contain any harmful substances.”
Many beverage companies like Coca-Cola also use sugar-free or corn syrup alternatives in reduced or zero-calorie drinks, such as Diet Coke.
Pepsi comments
On Thursday, the president’s comments came up during Coca-Cola competitor PepsiCo’s quarterly earnings call. An analyst asked the beverage giant how it might respond to ingredient changes.
“We’re following the consumer,” PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said. “And if the consumer is telling us that they prefer products that have sugar and they prefer products that have natural ingredients, we will give the consumer products that have sugar and have natural ingredients.”
Laguarta added the company could “execute as the regulations evolve, or consumer preference evolve.”
Coca-Cola has said it is making progress on sugar reduction in its beverages “by changing our recipes to reduce added sugar,” according to its most recent proxy statement.
The company has also invested about $100 million in sweetener research since 2008, according to its March investor presentation. Its beverage portfolio includes other options to soda, such as tea, coconut water and dairy products.
Social media flurry
Trump’s announcement Wednesday sparked a flurry of discussion on social media. Some people supported the idea. Some said it was a distraction from other issues.
Several posts pointed out how the Mexican version of flagship Coke is made with cane sugar, making comments on the president’s immigration policies or planned tariffs on Mexico.
Restaurant company Steak ’n Shake said on X it will offer Coca-Cola with cane sugar in glass bottles, beginning Aug. 1. The post had nearly 1 million views as of midday Thursday.
“America deserves the best,” the Indiana-based diner chain said. “We continue on our MAHA journey.”
Market response
Coke shares were up slightly Thursday. Two publicly traded corn processors, Archer Daniels Midland and Ingredion, saw their stock prices drop Wednesday evening but had recouped some of their losses Thursday.
John Bode, CEO of the Corn Refiners Association, said in a statement Wednesday it “doesn’t make sense” to use cane sugar.
“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,” Bode said.
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