Trump says Coca-Cola agreed to real cane sugar use in US production
US President Donald Trump has announced that Coca-Cola will use real cane sugar instead of corn syrup in the production of its signature soda in the US.
While Coca-Cola has not explicitly confirmed or denied the reformulation, its spokesperson told media outlets that “more details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon.”
Meanwhile, Trump says tweaking the recipe will be a “very good move” for the company.
“I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using real cane sugar in Coke in the US, and they have agreed to do so,” reads his social media post. “I’d like to thank all those in authority at Coca-Cola.”
The beverage giant uses cane sugar in several countries, such as the UK, Mexico, and Australia. While Trump hasn’t specified the use of corn syrup in Coca-Cola, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has spoken against its usage in food processing, linking it directly to the US’ “obesity epidemic.”
Increased costs for farmers?
The Corn Refiners Association, a trade association based in Washington, DC, warns that switching to cane sugar will impact employment across the food supply chain and farmer income while offering no nutritional improvement.
“Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar doesn’t make sense. President Trump stands for American manufacturing jobs, farmers, and reducing the trade deficit,” says association president and CEO John Bode.
“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.”
The Trump administration has recently cracked down on synthetic additives as part of its “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) campaign. In April, it announced that it will eliminate eight commonly used petroleum dyes from the US food and ingested drugs supply chain by the end of 2026.
Sugary drinks and ultra-processed foods are also on the MAHA agenda, with official proposals to prohibit people from using food stamps to purchase soda and candy within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
“We will end the childhood chronic disease crisis by attacking its root causes head-on — not just managing its symptoms,” Kennedy said at a White House event in May.
