In a post made on Wednesday, July 16, president Donald Trump claimed he’s working with Coca-Cola to bring back “real sugar cane” to the soft drink in the US, which prompted a response from the company.
He made a post on Truth Social
Taking to his social media app, the president wrote, “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.”
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“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!”
The company’s CEO had mentioned reducing sugar
Back in April, Coca-Cola Company CEO James Quincey told investors that the company was working on reducing sugar in its beverages.
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.”
Different sweeteners are used
On the Coca-Cola website, it’s stated that they use high-fractose corn syrup or cane sugar to sweeten the drink, depending on the location where the beverage is sold.
The sweetener in the US is different
In the US, they typically use high-fractose corn syrup, while other countries such as Mexico and Australia, have cane sugar in their Coke, according to AP.
Cane sugar was the sweetener for US in the past
According to Fortune, Coca-Cola used cane sugar as the sweetener of choice in its beverages originally, until it started using high-fructose corn syrup in the US by 1984 because of rising sugar prices.
Coca-Cola responded to Trump’s claim
In response to Trump’s post on changing the recipe, President and CEO of the Corn Refiners Association, John Bode, said in a statement that changing the sweetener in Coke ‘doesn’t make sense’.
“Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar doesn’t make sense,” he said on July 16. “President Trump stands for American manufacturing jobs, American farmers, and reducing the trade deficit.”
The change would cost a lot of jobs and income
Bode added, “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.”