Following his intervention, US President Donald Trump claimed that Coca-Cola had decided to switch the company’s famous soft drink from high-fructose corn syrup to cane sugar. The beverage giant has not confirmed or refuted this allegation.
Mr. Trump said on Wednesday that he had been in contact with Coca-Cola executives, pushing them to go back to what he called “REAL Cane Sugar” in the US-made version of the well-known beverage, in a post on his social media platform, Truth Social.
He wrote to thank the company’s leadership, saying, “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.” “You’ll see. It’s simply superior!
In a succinct statement following Mr. Trump’s declaration, Atlanta, Georgia-based Coca-Cola refrained from confirming the allegation.
The statement read, “We are grateful for the President’s passion for our iconic Coca-Cola brand.” “We’ll be sharing more information soon about our Coca-Cola product line’s innovative new offerings.”
Mr. Trump, who is well-known for drinking Diet Coke frequently, did not provide further details about his motivations for trying to change the original Coca-Cola formula.
Nonetheless, the extensive usage of high-fructose corn syrup in processed foods has been frequently criticized by his Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has called it “a formula for making you obese and diabetic.”
Mr. Kennedy has targeted sweeteners that are uncommon in most home kitchens and has vowed to take on the food business over what he refers to as “ultra-processed” products.
Due in large part to its low cost, which was made possible by federal maize subsidies and import duties on sugar from other countries, high-fructose corn syrup, a sweetener made from corn starch, emerged as the preferred sweetening agent in the United States in the 1980s.
Though there is still disagreement among scientists on whether the syrup is more harmful to health than other sugars, it has long been at the center of a health controversy despite its widespread use.
In a 2018 information sheet, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) declared that it was “not aware of any evidence” that high-fructose corn syrup was less safe than other sweeteners like honey or cane sugar.
Coca-Cola is frequently made with cane sugar outside of the US. Because it tastes better, fans have developed a cult following for the Mexican version of the beverage, which uses the traditional ingredient.
Nutritionists note that while cutting back on sugar intake overall is essential to the fight against obesity, simply switching out one type of sugar for another could not have a major positive impact on one’s health.
Sugary drinks continue to be the main source of added sugars in the typical American diet, and an estimated 73% of Americans are overweight or obese.
