By Naveen Athrappully
Contributing Writer
Coca-Cola will begin offering its trademark Coke drinks with a U.S. sugar cane variant starting this fall in the United States, the company said in a Tuesday statement announcing its second quarter results.
“This addition is designed to complement the company’s strong core portfolio and offer more choices across occasions and preferences,” the company said.
On July 16, President Donald Trump announced on his Truth Social account that Coca-Cola had agreed to start using sugar cane in its drink offerings.
“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.
“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!”
Coca-Cola sold in the United States uses high-fructose corn syrup. Diet Coke uses aspartame, an artificial sweetener.
The Mexican version of Coke, which uses cane sugar, is popular in the United States, with major retailers such as Costco and Sam’s Club selling it.
The Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again initiative attributes an increase in childhood chronic diseases in part to a higher intake of ultra-processed foods, many of which have HFCS.
After Trump’s announcement about Coca-Cola, food chain Steak ‘n Shake said in an X post on July 16, “Starting Aug. 1, Steak ‘n Shake will offer Coca-Cola with real cane sugar in glass bottles.”
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. replied to the post, saying, “MAHA is winning.”
Pepsi has also signaled its intentions to offer drinks with regular sugar.
“If the consumer is telling us that they prefer products that have sugar and they prefer products that have natural ingredients, we will give the consumer products that have sugar and have natural ingredients,” PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta told investors when asked about Trump’s announcement.
“So, this is a journey of following the consumer, trying to be a little bit maybe one step ahead of the consumer, but not too many steps. And it applies to both beverages and food.”
High Fructose Obesity
Introduced in the 1970s, HFCS is made from processed corn starch. HFCS is cheaper than sugar with a longer shelf life.
According to a study by the American Diabetes Association published in 2012, the rise in HFCS consumption in beverages has “paralleled the rise in the prevalence of obesity” and the appearance of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Although association does not mean causation, it is cause for concern, the group said.
An earlier Princeton University report also linked HFCS with significantly more weight gain compared with cane sugar.
In 2023, all U.S. states and territories had an obesity prevalence higher than 20%, the the Centers for Disease Control reported. That means more than one in five adults and/or children are considered obese. The Midwest and South had the highest prevalence.
One of the main factors in obesity is consuming too many highly processed foods or added sugars, including sugar-sweetened beverages, the CDC said.
Some of the health risks for obese individuals, according to the National Institutes of Health, are Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, liver disease, and problems with pregnancy and fertility.
