Trump suggests Coca-Cola return to cane sugar, beverage giant responds

United States President Donald Trump has claimed to have been joining forces with and assisting the soft drink giant Coca-Cola to use "real cane sugar" in their beverages in America. Coca-Cola has responded to the matter.

Reported by Al Jazeera, Donald Trump, who was recently diagnosed with CVI (Chronic Venous Insufficiency), took to his Truth Social platform on July 16, 2025, regarding bringing back "real cane sugar" to the Coke in the US:

"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. This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!"

President Donald Trump has often been photographed enjoying Diet Coke, which contains an artificial sweetener called aspartame. After Donald Trump's Truth Social post, the beverage giant quickly responded with a statement shared with People magazine. In the statement, Coca-Cola said:

"We appreciate President Trump's enthusiasm for our iconic Coca-Cola brand. More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon."

While the soft drink giant, Coca-Cola, did not say much in their statement besides appreciating Trump's enthusiasm regarding the matter, James Quincey, the CEO and Chairman of Coca-Cola, in April, had informed the investors that the company will:

"Continue to make progress on sugar reduction in our beverages."

Quincey further added:

Coca-cola 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."

According to The Guardian, the Coca-Cola company, in an additional statement released on July 17, 2025, on X (formerly Twitter), said:

"The name sounds complex, but high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) – which we use to sweeten some of our beverages – is actually just a sweetener made from corn. It’s safe; it has about the same number of calories per serving as table sugar and is metabolized in a similar way by your body."

The statement continued and added:

That the American Medical Association “has confirmed that HFCS is no more likely to contribute to obesity than table sugar or other full-calorie sweeteners. Please be assured that Coca-Cola brand soft drinks do not contain any harmful substances."

The Coca-Cola company uses both cane sugar and high-fructose corn syrup in its beverage, as per the company website. However, the use of both sweeteners depends on where the product is sold. According to Associated Press, the Coca-Cola company originally used real cane sugar as its sweetener until 1984.

After that, the beverage giant started using high-fructose corn syrup as sugar prices surged, as per Fortune. According to the Associated Press, in countries like Australia and Mexico, Coca-Cola uses cane sugar as its sweetener in its products.

After Donald Trump's suggestion to the Coca-Cola company, John Bode, CEO of the Corn Refiners Association, reacted

After President Donald Trump asked the Coca-Cola company to use "real cane sugar" instead of high fructose corn syrup, according to People magazine, the CEO and president of the Corn Refiners Association, John Bode, in a statement on July 16, 2025, said:

"Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar doesn’t make sense. President Trump stands for American manufacturing jobs, American farmers, and reducing the trade deficit."

He further added in the statement:

"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."

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