Following Trump's Pressure, Coca-Cola Finally Launches New Variant Of Sugar Tebu

Coca-cola (Photo: Pexels/Photo By:Kaboompics.com)

JAKARTA - The beverage company Coca-Cola announced that it will release a new variant of beverage products that use sugar cane as a sweetener. This decision comes after a statement from the President of the United States, Donald Trump, who claims to have persuaded the company to replace high-fructose cornfertose with sugar cane.

In its latest financial report, Coca-Cola stated that as part of the sustainable innovation agenda, they will launch a new variant made from sugar cane from the United States in the coming fall. Several Coca-Cola products outside the US, such as those sold in Mexico, have been using sugar cane for a long time.

"This addition is designed to complement the company's already strong core portfolio and provide more choice for consumers according to their opportunities and preferences," Coca-Cola said in a statement.

Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey, in a call with analysts, stated that he believes this new product will be a long-lasting choice among consumers. He also mentioned that Coca-Cola has used sugar cane in several other products in the US, such as mediating and packaged coffee.

The sugar cane has been used in some of our products, and we are trying to take advantage of all available sweetener options according to consumer preferences, Quincey said.

However, the official announcement from Coca-Cola confirmed that the main recipe for the Coca-Cola classic will not change and will continue to use high-fructose cornfertosarups. New products using sugar cane will be a separate variant, not a substitute for the main product.

High-frustose corn silt is a sweetener commonly used in beverage products in the US, because of its cheap cost. However, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Minister of Health and Humanitarian Services under Trump's administration, has long campaigned for the removal of artificial and high-prey materials from American food.

"Corrupe corn as a recipe for making you fat and diabetic," Kennedy said in a podcast with Dr. Jordan Peterson in September 2024.

Even so, health experts emphasize that soft drinks with sugar content, both from sugar cane and from cornferencing, are still unhealthy if consumed excessively.

"Excess sugar consumption from any source is detrimental to health," said Eva Greenthal, senior policy scientist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a non-profit consumer advocacy agency.

"If you want to make food in the US healthier, the government should focus on reducing the amount of sugar, not replacing the type of sugar," he continued.

Meanwhile, Coca-Cola's main competitor, PepsiCo, has not made major changes to its products. However, they have announced prebiotic soda drinks containing sugar cane, including the recently acquired Poppi brand.

"The price of sugar in the US is more expensive than in many other countries, so there needs to be talks with the government on how to make sugar prices more affordable and develop agricultural strategies that can reduce sugar production costs. It will greatly help transition, both for us and the industry as a whole." said PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta, in an interview with CNBC.