On July 16, US President Donald Trump said that he had spoken with Coca-Cola about using “real cane sugar in Coke” in the US, and that the company had agreed to start adding it.
Trump wrote about this on his social network, Truth Social.
“I spoke with Coca-Cola about using REAL cane sugar in Coke in the US, and they agreed to do so. I would like to thank everyone who makes decisions at The Coca-Cola Company. This will be a very good move on their part — you’ll see. It’s just better!” he emphasized.
According to The New York Times, a Coca-Cola representative declined to comment on whether the company had actually agreed to this.
“We appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm for our iconic Coca-Cola brand. Details about new innovative products within the Coca-Cola family will be announced soon,” company spokeswoman Michelle Agnew said in a statement.
In his social media post, Trump did not mention high-fructose corn syrup, which US Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. partly blames for the obesity epidemic. Agnier did not answer the question of whether Coca-Cola had agreed to use only cane sugar instead of corn syrup, which the company began adding to the drink in 1980, mixing it with sugar to reduce costs amid rising sugar prices.
Coca-Cola already produces a cane sugar-sweetened drink known as Mexican Coca-Cola, or MexiCoke. Thanks to its almost cult status, this drink was once imported into the US from Mexico through unofficial independent distributors. But in 2005, Coca-Cola began officially importing the Mexican version to Texas, gradually expanding its distribution throughout the country. It can now be found in supermarkets and small shops in areas with large Latin American populations.
Coca-Cola also produces a kosher version of the drink for the Jewish holiday of Passover. This cola contains cane sugar instead of corn syrup, specifically for Jews who avoid corn and other grains during this period. This Coca-Cola can be recognized by the yellow caps on the bottles.