Trump touts Coke shift to sugar over corn syrup

Company says it will share scope of plans next week during its earnings report

Bottles of Mexican Coca-Cola fill a prominent spot on the shelves of the a Latino market in Lawrenceville, Ga., in 2004. A version of Mexican Coke is made with cane sugar, while U.S. bottles have high-fructose corn syrup. RicFeld — AP

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By Kristina Peterson

Bloomberg

President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post on Wednesday that Coca-Cola Co. has agreed to use cane sugar in Coke beverages sold in the U.S.

“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 said. “I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola.”

The company followed up with a statement, saying “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.”

Coca-Cola shares rose as much as 1.2% in New York trading on Thursday. Shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland Co., a corn syrup maker, dropped as much as 2%.

Coca-Cola already sells a version of Mexico Coke that contains cane sugar. The company declined to say whether it would transition all of its U.S. beverages to cane sugar, adding that it will provide further detail when it reports earnings on Tuesday.

Coke’s original soda currently contains high-fructose corn syrup, a sweetener made from corn, according to the company’s website. The syrup is commonly used in packaged goods because it is more shelf stable, cheaper and sweeter than regular sugar, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has railed against the prevalence of ultra-processed foods, which are generally more likely to use the sweetener. He has said “high-fructose corn syrup is everywhere,” contributing to making Americans unhealthy. Kennedy thanked Trump on X Thursday morning.

U.S. cane sugar production in the 2025-26 season is expected to account for roughly 30% of the nation’s sugar supply, according to the Department of Agriculture. The remainder comes from sugar beets, as well as imports from Mexico and other countries.

Corn Refiners Association President John Bode said in a statement that replacing high-fructose corn syrup with cane sugar doesn’t make sense given Trump’s support for U.S. farmers and U.S. manufacturing jobs.

“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,” he said.

Trump famously drinks Diet Coke, which is artificially sweetened with aspartame.