Coca-Cola has confirmed that it is changing the recipe for its iconic soda later this year.
The drinks giant will launch a Coca-Cola in the US this fall made with real cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup.
Food companies have scrambled to make changes in ingredients and include healthier substitutes amid Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) campaign.
President Trump has also pushed for the change, declaring Coke made with sugar is ‘just better.’
‘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 Truth Social last week.
‘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!’
However, dieticians have warned that the cane sugar product could be even more unhealthy and contain more calories.
Dr Marion Nestle, a top nutritionist at New York University, previously told the Daily Mail that ‘the switch is nutritionally hilarious.’
Coco-Cola has confirmed that it is changing the recipe for its iconic soda
‘Both sweeteners are made of glucose and fructose, taste the same and do the same bad things to metabolism when consumed in excess.
‘A 12-ounce Coke has 39 grams of either one. That’s excessive. High fructose corn syrup has a bad reputation because it is cheaper and used in loads of ultra-processed foods.’
Other experts have warned the move could actually make America’s obesity crisis worse, as people will see it as a green light to drink more because they think it is healthier.
‘As part of its ongoing innovation agenda, this fall in the United States, the company plans to launch an offering made with U.S. cane sugar to expand its Trademark Coca-Cola product range,’ the company said in a statement.
‘This addition is designed to complement the company’s strong core portfolio and offer more choices across occasions and preferences.’
The move was confirmed during Coca-Cola’s second quarter earnings call on Tuesday morning.
The Atlanta-based company beat expectations benefiting from resilient demand for zero-sugar drinks as well as higher pricing.
Coca-Cola’s comparable revenue rose 2.5 percent to $12.62 billion in the three months ended June 27, beating estimates of $12.54 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.
President Trump has pushed for the recipe change that will be launched in the new product
CEO James Quincey told investors there had been some financial repercussions from Trump’s tariffs but that they remained manageable.
Coca-Cola has said it would look at affordable packaging options such as plastic bottles when President Trump imposed a 25 percent duty on aluminum imports.
Aluminum tariffs have now doubled to 50 percent.
Coca-Cola hiked its prices by an average of 6 percent in the second quarter, following a 5 percent rise in the first three months of the year.
