Trump Says Coke Will Be Made With Real Sugar. His Policies Make That More Difficult.
This week, President Donald Trump officially announced the U.S. government’s entry into an ongoing conflict—the cola wars.
“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 said this week on Truth Social. “I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!”
Government policy is part of the reason Coca-Cola does not use sugar in its American products, and Trump and his allies in Congress could change that. But his policies so far would do the opposite.
In much of the world, Coca-Cola products contain sugar made from either sugarcane or sugar beets. But in the U.S., the same drinks are made with high-fructose corn syrup—a processed sugar substitute made from corn starch. People have long had strong opinions about the difference and say sodas made from real sugar taste better. (Trump himself has often weighed in on the company’s products: “The Coca Cola company is not happy with me—that’s okay, I’ll still keep drinking that garbage,” he tweeted in 2012.)
A post on social media cannot force a private company to change its practices, and so far, Coca-Cola has been noncommittal on a switch.
“We appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm for our iconic Coca‑Cola brand,” the company said in a statement posted to X the morning after Trump’s announcement. “More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca‑Cola product range will be shared soon.”
But the company also defended its use of a sugar substitute. “The name sounds complex, but high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) – which we use to sweeten some of our beverages – is actually just a sweetener made from corn,” it said in a later message. “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 American Medical Association has confirmed that HFCS is no more likely to contribute to obesity than table sugar or other full-calorie sweeteners.” In 2023, the AMA announced that “insufficient evidence exists to specifically restrict use of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) or other fructose-containing sweeteners in the food supply or to require the use of warning labels on products containing HFCS.”
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was not convinced: Before he was confirmed as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Kennedy called high-fructose corn syrup “just a formula for making you obese and diabetic” and p
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