Donald Trump wants to make Coca-Cola "better" again, but the jury's still out on who really benefits from the change.
"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,” the US President wrote on his social media site Truth Social on Wednesday. "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 uses high-fructose corn syrup in Coke sold in the US, but in countries such as Mexico and Australia, as well as in Europe, its drinks are sweetened with cane sugar.
Interestingly, Trump is famously known to favour only Diet Coke, which uses aspartame as a calorie-free beverage. He's such a fan of the drink that he reportedly has a red button installed on the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office that he can press to have a White House butler bring one in for him.
But the presidential pronouncement is in line with the government's Make America Healthy Again initiative, which has been pushing food companies to alter their formulations.
Coca-Cola, meanwhile, has not confirmed the shift.
"We appreciate President Trump's enthusiasm for our iconic Coca-Cola brand," a spokesperson said. "More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon."
Coca-Cola has used cane sugar to sweeten their drinks in the US, but shifted to corn syrup in the 1980s.
Is cane sugar healthier than corn syrup?
While cane sugar and high fructose corn syrup are both sugars, the former is generally considered slightly less harmful of the two. This is because corn syrup has a higher concentration of fructose, excessive consumption of which can lead to obesity and health problems such as diabetes.
In countries such as India, sugarcane has been used to make "healthy sugar" jaggery for more than 3,000 years. Made by boiling down sugarcane until it thickens and solidifies, jaggery is not treated with chemicals and retains many of the plant's natural nutrients.
But Trump's announcement could endanger the livelihood of corn farmers in his own country.
“Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar doesn’t make sense," Corn Refiners Association president and chief executive John Bode said in a statement to AP.
"President Trump stands for American manufacturing jobs, American farmers and reducing the trade deficit. 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."
US cane sugar production in the 2025-26 season is expected to account for about 30 per cent of the US sugar supply, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture.
Will the taste of Coca-Cola change?
Trump says cane sugar-sweetened Coke is better, but the difference in taste between a Coke sweetened with cane sugar and with corn syrup is subtle, and is largely down to personal preference.
Cane sugar is known to have a cleaner, bodied taste compared to high fructose corn syrup's lingering sweetness.
Coca-Cola has been importing Mexican Coke to the US since 2005, and it is sold across the country alongside its American-produced drinks.
