Coca-Cola refutes Trump’s sugar claim, backs corn syrup as ‘safe’
Coca-Cola denies Trump’s claim, defends using high-fructose corn syrup in U.S. drinks, refuting switch to real cane sugar.
The Coca-Cola Company has defended its continued use of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in its US beverages, responding to Donald Trump’s claim that he had persuaded the brand to switch to using real cane sugar instead.
“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,” Trump said in a Truth Social post late Tuesday. “I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!”
Coca-Cola initially issued a polite statement thanking “President Trump’s enthusiasm” for the brand, saying it looked forward to “new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range.”
But by Thursday, the beverage giant issued a more detailed defence of HFCS, a sweetener that has long been controversial and blamed by some for contributing to rising obesity rates in the US.
“The name sounds complex, but high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) – which we use to sweeten some of our beverages – is actually just a sweetener made from corn,” the company said in a statement, The Guardian reported. “It’s safe; it has about the same number of calories per serving as table sugar and is metabolized in a similar way by your body.”
The company cited the American Medical Association (AMA), saying it “has confirmed that HFCS is no more likely to contribute to obesity than table sugar or other full-calorie sweeteners,” and added, “Please be assured that Coca-Cola brand soft drinks do not contain any harmful substances.”
In 2023, the AMA had stated that “insufficient evidence exists to specifically restrict use of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) or other fructose-containing sweeteners in the food supply or to require the use of warning labels on products containing HFCS.”
As per report by The Guardian, Trump’s fondness for Diet Coke is well known — including the installation of a red button in the Oval Office that summoned a butler with a can of the beverage. Diet Coke, however, does not use corn syrup or cane sugar; it’s sweetened with aspartame, a low-calorie artificial sweetener.
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Source: The Indian Express
