James Quincey, Chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola, has announced that the company will launch a new Coca-Cola variety sweetened with U.S.-produced cane sugar this fall. The new beverage is intended to expand the brand’s core range and respond to growing consumer interest in alternatives to high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
The announcement follows public remarks by President Donald Trump, who revealed the plan a week earlier, claiming credit for influencing the company’s decision. “It’s just better,” Trump stated, referencing the taste of cane sugar-sweetened drinks such as Mexican Coke. His administration has promoted such shifts as part of its Make America Healthy Again initiative.
Though the use of cane sugar is not new to Coca-Cola's U.S. portfolio — it already features in Gold Peak Sweet Tea, Vitaminwater, Costa Coffee iced drinks, and lemonades — the move to include it in a product under the Coca-Cola trademark marks a significant shift. Quincey described it as a complement, not a replacement, to the flagship recipe.
Trump’s push for cane sugar aligns with his economic agenda, which favors domestic production and limits foreign imports via steep tariffs. This protectionist stance benefits U.S. cane sugar growers but makes domestic sugar more expensive—often double the price of global sugar.
While the White House has praised the decision as a step toward healthier consumption, experts remain skeptical. David M. Klurfeld of Indiana University School of Public Health emphasizes that cane sugar and HFCS are nearly identical in composition and health effects, with no significant differences shown in controlled studies.
The plan has drawn criticism from the corn industry. John Bode, CEO of the Corn Refiners Association, warned that replacing HFCS with cane sugar could jeopardize thousands of American food manufacturing jobs and widen the trade deficit through increased foreign sugar imports.
The initiative also intersects with efforts by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has criticized both HFCS and cane sugar but supports reduced use of additives in processed foods. His Make America Healthy Again campaign has praised similar sugar-based offerings in restaurants like Steak 'n Shake.
Meanwhile, Coca-Cola’s quarterly earnings report revealed a 2.5% revenue increase to USD 12.62 billion, despite declining volumes in North America amid consumer price sensitivity.
Whether the cane sugar Coke becomes a long-term success remains to be seen, but it is poised to spark discussion in both boardrooms and political arenas this fall.
