9 hours ago

Coca-Cola to launch Coke with cane sugar in the US after Trump post

Coca-Cola has laid out plans to launch a product made with US cane sugar this year, days after Donald Trump claimed the company had agreed to replace high-fructose corn syrup.

The announcement came Tuesday in Coca-Cola’s earnings report. It confirmed a 16 July post on Trump’s Truth Social platform in which the president said Coca-Cola “agreed” to use “REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States”.

“This will be a very good move by them – You’ll see,” Trump’s post said. “It’s just better!”

The drink maker’s Mexican Coke is made with cane sugar and already sold in the US.

Tuesday’s announcement from Coca-Cola came as food and drink companies have rolled out plans to make changes amid US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s Make America healthy again (Maha) campaign.

However, experts say that drinks made with cane sugar instead of corn syrup aren’t healthier.

Eva Greenthal, senior policy scientist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a non-profit consumer advocacy group, previously told CNN: “Excess consumption of sugar from any source harms health. To make the US food supply healthier, the Trump administration should focus on less sugar, not different sugar.”

Coca-Cola chairperson and chief executive officer James Quincey said Tuesday’s announcement was meant to “reflect consumer interest in differentiated experiences”.

“We appreciate the president’s enthusiasm for our Coca-Cola brand,” Quincey said in a conference call with investors. “This addition is designed to complement our strong core portfolio and offer more choice across occasions and preferences.”