Coca-Cola to launch cane sugar version of classic soda in US after Trump push

Coca-Cola Co. said July 22 that it would introduce a version of its flagship soda made with US cane sugar this fall, following a recent statement by US President Donald Trump that he had urged the company to make the switch.

"As part of its ongoing innovation agenda, this fall in the United States, the company plans to launch an offering made with US cane sugar to expand its Trademark Coca-Cola product range," Coca-Cola said in its earnings report July 22.

The company added that the move is designed to complement its strong core portfolio and offer more choices.

Between April and June, prices rose 3% year over year, while unit case volume declined 1%, according to the company's earnings report.

The company added that it has been working on innovations with plant-based beverages.

Trump published on Truth Social July 16 that he had talked with Coca-Cola, advocating for the use of cane sugar instead of corn syrup.

"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," the president said on July 16.

The petition responds to the US government's Make America Healthy Again initiative, which aims for food companies to modify their formulations and eliminate ingredients such as artificial colorings.

Arca Continental, a Mexican bottler that supplies Coca-Cola drinks in the US, has begun working on it, Arturo Gutiérrez Hernández, CEO of Arca Continental, said July 17.

"Together with Coca-Cola, we are working on the development of some innovative offerings for consumers in the United States," Gutierrez said during a call with analysts to discuss its financial performance for the second quarter of 2025.

Gutierrez added that it was a way to expand the portfolio and introduce new options under the Coca-Cola brand in the US.

During the year's second quarter, the company reported sales of $23.885 billion pesos, ($1.282 billion), a year-over-year increase of 2.8%.

"This period has been the most profitable for a second quarter since the start of our operations in the United States and the 29th consecutive quarter of EBITDA growth," the company said.

Since the 1980s, Coca-Cola has sweetened drinks in the US with high-fructose corn syrup, while the company uses cane sugar in products distributed in countries such as Mexico and across Europe. Longstanding quotas on imported sugar, along with subsidies for domestic corn production, have made high-fructose corn syrup the more cost-effective sweetener in the US.

The Corn Refiners Association warned that the change would be devastating for the US agricultural industry and could result in a loss of $5.1 billion in revenue for farms, or around 34 cents/bu.

"Replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar would cost thousands of American food manufacturing jobs, depress farm income and boost imports of foreign sugar, all with no nutritional benefit," the group's president and CEO, John Bode, said July 16. "President Trump stands for American manufacturing jobs, American farmers and reducing the trade deficit."

The measure will not impact the demand for corn, according to sources and S&P Global Energy.

Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, assessed CIF NOLA prices for July corn shipment July 21 at $195.95/mt, down $1.50 from the previous assessment. The August CIF NOLA shipment was assessed July 21 at $195.20/mt, $1.85 below the last assessment.