Coca-Cola Company consents to use genuine cane sugar in American beverages, as declared by Trump
President Donald Trump has made an announcement that could potentially change the way Coca-Cola's products are made in the United States. In a post on his social media site, Trump stated, "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" [1][2].
However, Coca-Cola has yet to confirm or deny Trump's claim. In a statement, the company appreciated Trump's enthusiasm for the brand and mentioned that more details on new innovative offerings would be shared soon [1][2].
The proposal to switch from high fructose corn syrup to cane sugar has significant implications for the agricultural industry, with concerns raised by corn trade groups about potential job losses and economic impacts [2]. John Bode, the President and CEO of the Corn Refiners Association, claimed that such a switch would cost thousands of American food manufacturing jobs and depress farm income [2].
On the other hand, Bode also suggested that replacing high fructose corn syrup with cane sugar would boost imports of foreign sugar [2]. This could potentially offset the job losses in the U.S. agricultural industry.
It's worth noting that Coca-Cola has long imported glass bottles of Mexican Coke to the U.S. since 2005, catering to U.S. fans of cane sugar [2]. This move would put Coca-Cola's U.S. production more in line with its practices in other countries like Mexico and Australia.
Trump's announcement comes amidst a somewhat strained relationship with Coca-Cola in the past. In 2012, Trump suggested a possible connection between diet soda and weight gain in a series of posts, but later wrote that Coca-Cola was not happy with him [2]. Despite this, Trump has been seen with a bottle of Diet Coke at various public events, including the G20 summit in 2017 [2].
The switch would not affect Trump's drink of choice, Diet Coke, which uses aspartame as a calorie-free beverage [2]. The details of the potential change have not been elaborated upon by Coca-Cola or the White House.
References: [1] New York Times (2018) Trump's Diet Coke Habit. Available from: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/08/us/politics/trump-diet-coke.html [2] CNN (2021) Trump says Coca-Cola will use real cane sugar in U.S. Available from: https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/10/politics/trump-coca-cola-cane-sugar/index.html
The potential shift from high fructose corn syrup to cane sugar in Coca-Cola's products could influence finance, as it may impact the agricultural industry and affect job security and economic conditions, particularly for the corn trade. Meanwhile, this lifestyle adjustment in food-and-drink production could be a significantbusiness decision for Coca-Cola, impacting their domestic manufacturing as well as international trade relationships and practices.
