【Text by Observer Net, Lin Chenli】According to media reports from the Financial Times of the UK and others, on July 16 local time, US President Trump stated that Coca-Cola Company has agreed to resume using cane sugar in the US market. For decades, Coca-Cola sold in the US market has used high-fructose corn syrup as a sweetener.

On that day, Trump posted on the "Truth Social" platform: "I have discussed with Coca-Cola Company to use real cane sugar in the cola in the US market, and they have agreed to do so. Thank all the Coca-Cola management, this is a wise move. You will see, it will be better."

Coca-Cola Company responded that day: "Thank you, President Trump, for your attention to our brand. More details about the new innovative products in our Coca-Cola product line will be announced soon."

Neither Trump nor Coca-Cola Company made further statements about the details of this change, including how Coca-Cola will obtain the required large amount of cane sugar, and whether the cola made with cane sugar will replace the existing formula or serve as a supplement.

Coca-Cola sold on supermarket shelves in the United States. Financial Times

Due to agricultural subsidies, American Coca-Cola producers switched to the cheaper high-fructose corn syrup as early as the 1980s, but continued to use cane sugar in most overseas production. For many consumers, cane sugar is more appealing due to its better flavor. For years, Mexican glass-bottled Coca-Cola and Jewish-certified Coca-Cola for Passover have been favored by some American consumers because of their use of cane sugar.

High-fructose corn syrup is a highly processed sweetener, and there has long been controversy over its health effects compared to other added sugars. The main production areas of its raw material corn are in the agricultural states of the Midwest of the United States, such as Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska, which mostly supported Trump in the 2024 US presidential election.

US sugarcane is mainly grown in the warm coastal states of the Gulf of Mexico, where Trump's hometown Florida is the largest sugarcane producer in the country, and some sugarcane is imported through tariff quota systems.

After Trump made the above remarks, the stock prices of two major corn processing giants, Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) and Ingredion, fell by 6.3% and 8.9% respectively in after-hours trading on the 16th. However, Coca-Cola's stock price was not affected.

John Bode, CEO of the US Corn Processing Association, said: "Replacing high-fructose corn syrup with cane sugar would lead to the loss of thousands of jobs in the food manufacturing industry in the United States, reduce agricultural income, increase the import of foreign sugar, and none of these would bring any nutritional benefits."

Trump made this statement at a time when his Health Secretary, Kennedy, is cracking down more broadly on highly processed foods. Earlier this week, the White House announced that dozens of ice cream companies, which account for over 90% of US ice cream sales, have pledged to stop using certified artificial food colors in their frozen dairy products.

Although Kennedy once criticized high-fructose corn syrup, he also takes a tough stance on sugar itself. At an event earlier this year, he claimed "sugar is poison," but did not specify which type of sugar he meant, whether it came from corn, cane sugar, or other crops.

Trump is a well-known Coca-Cola lover across the United States, with reports stating that he drank up to 12 Diet Cokes in a day. During his first presidential term, he even installed a button on his desk in the White House to call for Diet Coke. It is known that Diet Coke uses the artificial sweetener aspartame.

This article is an exclusive article by Observer Net. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7527871707089044014/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author. Please express your opinion by clicking on the 【Top/Down】 buttons below.