Coca-Cola has revealed that it will release a new Coke derived from cane sugar. The news follows President Donald Trump’s social media tweet last week, in which he claimed to have convinced the firm to switch high-fructose corn syrup. In its earnings release on Tuesday, the business stated that as “part of its ongoing innovation agenda,” it will introduce a “offering made with US cane sugar” to its product line in the autumn. Some versions of Coke, especially those sold in Mexico, already include cane sugar.
“This addition is designed to complement the company’s strong core portfolio and offer more choices across occasions and preferences,” the drinks giant said in a statement. On a teleconference with analysts, CEO James Quincey stated that he believes the drink “will be an enduring option for consumers” and mentioned that Coca-Cola employs cane sugar in various other beverages offered in the United States, including lemonade and coffee. It’s “blended into some of our other products, and so we are definitely looking to use the whole toolkit of available sweetening options where there are consumer preferences,” he told me.
Last week, Trump claimed that Coca-Cola had “agreed” to use cane sugar in its beverages. However, Tuesday’s release discloses that Coke’s signature recipe would remain unchanged, using high-fructose corn syrup. Instead, the business will manufacture a separate Coke product with cane sugar. Coca-Cola, which is created in the United States, contains high-fructose corn syrup, which Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has strongly opposed.
Kennedy, who has spearheaded the battle to remove numerous artificial and highly processed additives from American foods, described high-fructose corn syrup as a “formula for making you obese and diabetic” on a September episode of Dr. Jordan Peterson’s podcast. Corn syrup is a popular and inexpensive sweetener, which is why Coca-Cola made the switch many years ago. However, health experts believe sugar-filled soda is unhealthy, whether produced with cane sugar or corn syrup.
“Excess sugar consumption from any source harms health,” Eva Greenthal, senior policy scientist at the Centre for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organisation, previously told CNN. “To make the US food supply healthier, the Trump administration should focus on less sugar, not different sugar.” Meanwhile, rival PepsiCo is not making any significant modifications. However, its recently acquired Poppi brand and the newly announced prebiotic soda both contain 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,” Ramon Laguarta, CEO of PepsiCo, said
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