<p data-start="209" data-end="286"><strong data-start="209" data-end="286">🍹 US Coke to Switch to Natural Cane Sugar: What It Means for Your Health</strong></p>
<p data-start="288" data-end="586">In a major shift that could reshape the sugar landscape of America&rsquo;s most iconic beverage, US President <a title="Trump" href="https://www.benefitnews24.com/international/trump-signals-tariffs-on-pharma-chips-by-month-end/16449" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> has announced that Coca-Cola will begin using real cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup or refined white sugar in its soft drinks manufactured in the United States.</p>
<p data-start="588" data-end="872">Trump, posting on Truth Social, claimed that he had been in conversation with Coca-Cola executives and that the company had agreed to make the change. While Coca-Cola has yet to confirm the full scope of this transition, the implications&mdash;both nutritional and cultural&mdash;are significant.</p>
<h3 data-start="874" data-end="937">A Sweeter Shift: What&rsquo;s the Big Deal About Real Cane Sugar?</h3>
<p data-start="939" data-end="1338">Cane sugar, especially in its minimally processed form, is markedly different from the refined sugars and syrups that dominate the American soft drink industry. Most US-made sodas&mdash;including Coca-Cola&mdash;have historically used high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a cheap and highly refined sugar substitute linked to numerous health concerns, including obesity, insulin resistance, and fatty liver disease.</p>
<p data-start="1340" data-end="1738">Natural cane sugar, on the other hand, undergoes far less processing. It retains trace minerals like calcium, iron, and magnesium, along with molasses compounds that can offer a richer flavour and even some antioxidant properties. While it remains a form of sugar and should still be consumed in moderation, its less aggressive metabolic profile makes it a comparatively better alternative to HFCS.</p>
<p data-start="1340" data-end="1738"><strong>ALSO READ: https://www.benefitnews24.com/business/india-us-face-off-over-ethanol-trade-access/16334</strong></p>
<h3 data-start="1740" data-end="1793">How Much Sugar Are Americans Consuming from Coke?</h3>
<p data-start="1795" data-end="2126">Americans consume an estimated <strong data-start="1826" data-end="1864">1.7 million tons of sugar annually</strong> just from Coca-Cola products, which translates to <strong data-start="1915" data-end="1958">roughly 10.8 pounds per person per year</strong>. With the average American drinking <strong data-start="1995" data-end="2037">399 servings of Coke products annually</strong>, the type of sugar used in each bottle or can carries weight&mdash;literally and figuratively.</p>
<p data-start="2128" data-end="2269">By moving away from heavily refined sweeteners, Coca-Cola could begin to ease its share of the national health burden, even if incrementally.</p>
<h3 data-start="2271" data-end="2330">More Than Just Taste: Political and Cultural Undertones</h3>
<p data-start="2332" data-end="2769">This change comes in the shadow of Trump&rsquo;s upcoming inauguration and amid a cultural resurgence of nostalgia for the &ldquo;original taste&rdquo; of Coke. Real cane sugar was once the standard sweetener in US sodas until the 1980s, when corn syrup gained dominance due to farm subsidies and pricing advantages. Ironically, Coca-Cola&rsquo;s &ldquo;Mexican Coke&rdquo;&mdash;which uses cane sugar&mdash;has gained cult status in the United States for its perceived superior taste.</p>
<p data-start="2771" data-end="3097">Trump&rsquo;s public affection for Coca-Cola (especially its Diet variant) is well known, as is that of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who recently called the inventor of Diet Coke a &ldquo;genius.&rdquo; A commemorative inauguration bottle, gifted to Trump by Coca-Cola, now symbolises this sugar shift&rsquo;s fusion of politics, branding, and public health.</p>
<h3 data-start="3099" data-end="3137">A Healthier Future or Mere Optics?</h3>
<p data-start="3139" data-end="3428">While switching to cane sugar is not a panacea&mdash;sugar is still sugar&mdash;the move may encourage other beverage giants to revisit their own sweetener strategies. From a public health standpoint, even a partial rollback of refined sugars in mass-market beverages is a step in the right direction.</p>
<p data-start="3430" data-end="3676">As Coca-Cola prepares to release more details on what it calls &ldquo;innovative offerings,&rdquo; the focus now shifts to whether this promise of authenticity and natural ingredients will lead to a broader health-conscious reform in the soft drink industry.</p>

Coca Cola bottling plant in US (image courtesy social media)

Trump pushes Coca-Cola to replace refined sugar with natural cane sugar in US beverages

Coca-Cola to Use Real Cane Sugar in US Products

Trump pushes Coca-Cola to replace refined sugar with natural cane sugar in US beverages

July 17, 2025 | 15:59 IST