Coca-Cola is working to implement #5 with the launch of a new type of beverage this fall. It will be sweetened with cane sugar and sold throughout the United States. The news came during a quarterly update to investors, where Coca-Cola’s CEO, James Quincey, confirmed the development. This new offering will use US cane sugar, tapping into consumers’ increasing desire for more authentic sweeteners.
The initiative is a direct response to the recent former President Donald Trump’s push. He announced the deal on his social media service, Truth Social. It was in that context that Trump bragged about his private conversations with Quincey. They discussed incorporating actual cane sugar into Coca-Cola products. He insisted that this was ultimately the right decision to make the product more attractive.
“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.” – Donald Trump
Coca-Cola has already used cane sugar in other brands sold in the US market, such as their lemonade, coffee, and vitamin water. We’re sure the upcoming product will be popular with all our customers who enjoy cane sugar for its clean, sweet taste. Most importantly, it’s made without high fructose corn syrup.
Trump’s administration role in this effort further included an April 2019 meeting with billionaire sugar planter and major political donor Jose Fanjul. Much of that dialog centered on the need to allay public concern regarding corn syrup. This debate became more immediate once Trump’s Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., sounded the alarm over its likely deleterious health effects.
See what our experts have to say about the sweeteners nutritional debate. Coca-Cola’s consumers want cane sugar. Yet research has proven that it provides no real health advantage over corn syrup. Interestingly, products marketed as “Mexican Coke,” which are sweetened with traditional sugar instead of corn syrup, have gained popularity among consumers since their introduction in 2005. These drinks, typically sold in glass bottles at a high markup price, have cultivated a rabid fanbase.
Quincey further emphasized the company’s dedication to serving consumer desires in the announcement of the new beverage.
“We are definitely looking to use the whole tool … kit of available sweetening options to some extent where there are consumer preferences.” – James Quincey