Coca-Cola to release Trump-approved new version of cane sugar Coke – Here’s what we know
Coca-Cola on Tuesday (July 22) confirmed that it will release a new Coke made with cane sugar, as US President Donald Trump last week claimed that he persuaded the company to replace high-fructose corn syrup.
Coca-Cola, in its earnings report, announced that it will launch an offering made with US cane sugar.
The company stated, “part of its ongoing innovation agenda,” it will launch in the fall an “offering made with US cane sugar” as part of its product range.
Notably, some versions of Coke have already been using cane sugar, including Coca-Cola sold in Mexico. “This addition is designed to complement the company’s strong core portfolio and offer more choices across occasions and preferences,” Coca-Cola said in a statement.
Later today, the company will reveal more details on its earnings call with Wall Street analysts.
Coca-Cola produced for the US market is typically sweetened with corn syrup. Notably, in the US, Coca-Cola made with cane sugar is colloquially known as “Mexican Coke.”
The company added that the Coke made with US cane sugar will complement the company’s existing product line.
Last week, the US president asked Coca-Cola to start using cane sugar in their drinks. “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 wrote on his Truth Social.
“This will be a very good move by them – you’ll see. It’s just better!”
However, Dr Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and director of the Food is Medicine Institute at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, stressed that “both high-fructose corn syrup and cane sugar are about 50% fructose, 50% glucose, and have identical metabolic effects.”
Meanwhile, its rival company PepsiCo, hasn’t announced any changes. But, its newly announced prebiotic soda contains cane sugar. “Sugar is more expensive in the US than in many parts of the world, so I think there is a conversation with the government probably on how do we make sugar more affordable in the US, how do we have a farming strategy probably that reduces the cost of sugar and that will facilitate a lot of the transition for us and for the whole industry,” PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said on CNBC last week.
