Audio By Carbonatix
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, the UK and Australia, 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".
He said the Atlanta-based 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".
But any decision to use cane sugar instead might leave a bitter aftertaste for American corn farmers.
Corn Refiners Association President and CEO John Bode said in a 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."
The US health secretary and his Make America Healthy Again movement have advocated for companies to remove ingredients such as corn syrup, seed oils and artificial dyes from their products, linking them to a litany of health problems.
Kennedy has also 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.
Latest Stories
-
Evalue-Ajomoro-Gwira MP pledges to safeguard peace in Lower Axim and Nsein
44 seconds -
Global collaboration in focus as Malaysia courts Ghanaian top business executives
9 minutes -
Bondaye Residents accuse Heath Goldfields of unsafe mining and broken promises
13 minutes -
Evalue Ajomoro Gwira MP calls for calm amid Lower Axim and Nsein chieftaincy tensions
22 minutes -
I know the President listens and he will – Franklin Cudjoe
42 minutes -
Former AG Godfred Dame demands retraction from Kwakye Ofosu over galamsey claims
42 minutes -
All Big Push contractors paid, projects on track – Roads Minister
56 minutes -
Photos: Mahama meets CSOs on accountability, anti-corruption and governance
1 hour -
Big Push prioritises precision, quality and value – Roads Minister Agbodza
1 hour -
Big Push agenda targets local contractor development – Agbodza
1 hour -
Between memory and partnership: Ghana’s moral test on reparatory justice
1 hour -
“OSP has always lacked the opportunity to speak” – Samuel Appiah-Darko
1 hour -
Local experts unlock pension capital as Ci Gaba Fund raises GH¢380m to finance SMEs
1 hour -
US gas price tops $4 for first time since 2022
1 hour -
I won’t answer for bypassed transactions—Interior Minister warns security heads amid GNFS probe
1 hour
