President Donald Trump says Coca-Cola has agreed to use real cane sugar in its drinks sold in the US.
Coca-Cola uses corn syrup in its American products, but Trump’s Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has voiced concern about the ingredient’s health impacts.
“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 wrote on social media. “I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola.”
Without explicitly confirming the recipe tweak, a Coca-Cola spokesperson said they “appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm” and “more details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon”.
Trump said in Wednesday’s post on Truth Social: “This will be a very good move by them – You’ll see. It’s just better!”
While Coke sold in the US is typically sweetened with corn syrup, Coke in other countries, such as Mexico and the UK, tends to use cane sugar.
In April, Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey told investors that “we continue to make progress on sugar reduction in our beverages”.
Mr Quincey said the company has “done this by changing recipes as well as by using our global marketing resources and distribution network to boost awareness of and interest in our ever-expanding portfolio”.
Kennedy and his Make America Healthy Again movement have advocated for American companies to remove ingredients such as corn syrup, seed oils and artificial dyes from their products, linking them to a litany of health problems.
He has been critical of the amount of sugar Americans consume and reportedly plans to update nationwide dietary guidelines this summer.
Trump is a regular drinker of Diet Coke – which uses the artificial sweetener aspartame. He had a button installed in the Oval Office’s Resolute desk so he can be served the soda.
