Trump says Coca-Cola will use cane sugar in US: How much will it cost the soda giant?
Donald Trump announced that Coca-Cola may replace high-fructose corn syrup with cane sugar in the United States.
Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he had talked to Coca-Cola about putting “REAL cane sugar in Coke” in the US, and they will start next year. But when LiveMint asked the soda giant if that was exactly true about Trump’s claim, the company did not directly say that.
Trump claimed they had agreed to his suggestion to swap high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) for cane sugar. “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. I'd like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!”
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But while the POTUS seems confident, Coca-Cola itself didn’t exactly confirm his version of events.
“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 soda giant told Livemint in a statement.
How much extra does Coca-Cola have to spend if they switch to cane-sugar
Now, if Coca-Cola were to stop using corn syrup in the US and begin sweetening all of its beverages with cane sugar, analysts say it could cost them an additional $800 to $900 million annually.
That’s because HFCS is cheaper than cane sugar in the US, largely due to a combination of agricultural subsidies and sugar import tariffs. A gallon of Coca-Cola typically contains about 0.9 pounds of HFCS. With the company selling around 3 billion gallons of beverages annually in the U.S., that’s roughly 2.7 billion pounds of sweetener used per year.
The average cost difference between HFCS and refined cane sugar is estimated at around $0.30 per pound, per the USDA. Multiply that by Coca-Cola’s total sweetener use, and you’re looking at an extra $810 million every year in ingredient costs alone.
Notably, the company sells a ‘Mexican Coke’ in the U.S. made with cane sugar, which many consumers say tastes better.
ALSO READ| Coca-Cola to use real cane sugar in US? What they used before and its health impact
There is also a Kosher-for-Passover Coke, which has sugar instead of corn syrup and is produced by Coca-Cola, sold in yellow-capped bottles. This is available to the observant Jews who do not consume corn.
