Donald Trump’s influence could change how Coca-Cola tastes

President Donald Trump announced on social media on Wednesday that beverage giant Coca-Cola has agreed to start using real cane sugar in its U.S. production.

The company currently uses high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in its domestic drinks, a sweetener that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his Make America Healthy Again movement have long criticised.

“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 his Truth Social platform.

“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!”

‘Special button’

The US president did not say what prompted him to push for the change, which won’t affect his well-known favourite drink, Diet Coke.

Since returning to the White House, Trump has brought back a special button in the Oval Office that delivers a serving of the sugar-free soda.

Coca-Cola has not yet confirmed the ingredient change.

“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,” the company said in a short statement.

HFCS became popular in the 1970s, with its use skyrocketing thanks to government subsidies for corn growers and high import tariffs on cane sugar.

Any shift away from corn is likely to draw backlash in the Corn Belt, a Midwestern region that has been a stronghold of support for Trump.

Structural differences

Both HFCS and sucrose (cane sugar) contain fructose and glucose, but their structures differ: HFCS has free (unbonded) fructose and glucose in varying ratios—55/45 in soft drinks—while sucrose chemically bonds the two sugars.

Despite this structural difference, researchers haven’t found major health impacts from one over the other.

A 2022 review of clinical studies reported no significant differences between HFCS and sucrose when it comes to weight gain or heart health.

The only clear distinction was a rise in an inflammation marker among people who consumed HFCS. In general, both sweeteners affect the body similarly when consumed in equal calorie amounts.

Still, Mexican Coke, which uses cane sugar, often sells at a premium in US stores and is valued for its more “natural” taste.

Trump’s preferred Diet Coke, meanwhile, contains aspartame, a sweetener the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies as a “possible carcinogen.”