Coca-Cola (KO) is bringing back a soda blend favored by President Donald Trump. The company's CEO, James Quincey announced in a recent earnings conference call that Coca-Cola would launch a domestically-sourced cane sugar sweetened variant of its famous soda in the U.S. later this year. This move follows Trump's expressed preference for this specific blend as part of his administration's efforts to reduce the country's reliance on imports.
Quincey acknowledged, "We appreciate the President's enthusiasm for our Coca-Cola brand. We plan to expand our trademark Coca-Cola product range with U.S. cane sugar to cater to consumer interest."
In response to Coca-Cola's announcement, Trump said on Truth Social, "This will be a very good move by them - You’ll see. It’s just better!"
Soda manufacturers had switched to high-fructose corn syrup for cost-effectiveness decades ago as per the Department of Agriculture. However, the proportion of corn used for making high-fructose corn syrup peaked in 1999 and has been predicted to contribute to only 5% of domestically grown corn's consumption.
The United States' specific trade policies on sweeteners included tariffs, with a projected use of 12,250 tons of sugar this fiscal year. This will involve 9,295 tons of domestically produced beet and cane sugar, with minuscule amounts exported and 2,956 tons imported.
High-fructose corn syrup has faced a backlash from some Americans, including Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who view alternatives as healthier and more natural. Some even prefer the taste of cane sugar-sweetened soda widely available in Mexico.
Coca-Cola already uses cane sugar in several other U.S. products such as lemonade, tea, and vitamin waters. Quincey's confidence in the sweetener's lasting popularity suggests that the cane sugar-sweetened soda will become a permanent fixture in the Coca-Cola product lineup.
In Quincey's words, "Most innovations don’t work in the long run, but I think it's a good sign that the industry, including ourselves, are trying lots of different things."