Trump Claims Victory: Coca-Cola to Switch to Cane Sugar in U.S. Beverages!

WASHINGTON (Reuters) — President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Coca-Cola has agreed to use cane sugar in its beverages sold in the United States following discussions with the company.

Trump took to Truth Social, stating, “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. I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola.”

A Coca-Cola spokesperson confirmed that the Atlanta-based company will soon share details on new offerings, expressing appreciation for Trump’s enthusiasm for their product.

Traditionally, Coca-Cola produced for the U.S. market has been sweetened with corn syrup, while the company uses cane sugar in some other countries.

The Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) initiative, aligned with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has been pushing food companies to modify their formulations by removing ingredients such as artificial dyes.

Kennedy has been vocal about the excessive sugar consumption in the American diet, indicating that updated dietary guidelines to be released this summer will encourage Americans to eat whole foods.

A May report from the MAHA Commission, a panel assembled by Trump to investigate the root causes of chronic disease, suggested that significant consumption of high-fructose corn syrup may contribute to childhood obesity and other health conditions.

While medical experts recommend limiting added sugars in diets, they have not identified substantial differences between cane sugar and high-fructose corn syrup.

Corn producers, primarily located in the U.S. Midwest, have long exerted significant influence over lawmakers in Washington. Notably, Florida, Trump’s home state, is the country’s leading sugarcane producer.

John Bode, President and CEO of the Corn Refiners Association, criticized the move, stating, “Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar doesn’t make sense. It would cost thousands of American food manufacturing jobs, depress farm income, and boost imports of foreign sugar, all with no nutritional benefit.”

The MAHA Commission includes Kennedy, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, and several other cabinet members and officials.

In a related development, the Trump administration has approved requests from some states to exclude soda from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, increasing pressure on beverage giants like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo.