Coca-Cola shocks fans with recipe change called for by Donald Trump
Coca-Cola is releasing a new soda with an endorsement from US President Donald Trump.
Listen to this article
Coca-Cola confirmed it will release a new soda made with cane sugar.
It comes after a social media post from Trump where he claimed he persuaded Coca-Cola to replace high-fructose corn syrup.
The company revealed in its earnings report Tuesday that as "part of its ongoing innovation agenda", it will launch in the autumn an "offering made with US cane sugar" as part of its product range.
Some versions of Coke already use cane sugar - including Coca-Cola sold in Mexico.
Read more: Police Scotland requests extra officers from across UK to help with Donald Trump's upcoming visit
Read more: Trump shares bizarre AI video of Obama being arrested as he rants about 'years-long coup'
In a statement, the company said: "This addition is designed to complement the company’s strong core portfolio and offer more choices across occasions and preferences."
CEO James Quincey told analysts that he thinks the drink "will be an enduring option for consumers" and noted that Coca-Cola uses cane sugar in several of its beverages sold in the US, including lemonade and coffee.
Mr Quincey said cane sugar is “blended into some of our other products, and so we are definitely looking to use the whole toolkit of available sweetening options where there are consumer preferences."
Last week, the US president said that Coca-Cola had "agreed" to use cane sugar in its drinks. However, Tuesday's announcement reveals that Coke's flagship recipe isn't changing and will continue to include high-fructose corn syrup.
Coca-Cola, instead, will create a separate Coke product that includes cane sugar.
American coca-cola is made with high-fructose corn syrup, which Trump's Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has aggressively advocated against.
Kennedy has led the movement to remove many artificial and highly processed ingredients from American foods - slamming high-fructose corn syrup as a "formula for making you obese and diabetic" on Dr. Jordan Peterson's podcast.
Corn syrup is a common and cheap sweetener, which is why Coca-Cola originally made the change.
The company's rival PepsiCo isn't following suit - although it includes cane sugar in its new prebiotic soda and its newly acquired Poppi brand.
“Sugar is more expensive in the US than in many parts of the world, so I think there is a conversation with the government probably on how do we make sugar more affordable in the US, how do we have a farming strategy probably that reduces the cost of sugar and that will facilitate a lot of the transition for us and for the whole industry,” PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta told CNBC.