The beverage company said that he wanted to “launch an offer with US rod sugar in the United States this autumn to expand the Coca-Cola brand product range”. This should give “more options for different occasions and preferences”.
Trump wrote in his online service Truth Social Last Thursday that he “spoke to Coca-Cola about the use of real cane sugar in Cola in the United States and approved”. This is a “very good step”.
US Health Minister Robert F. Kennedy Jr. thanked the president for his initiative. The nephew of former US President John F. Kennedy has long criticized the use of corn syrup in soft drinks because the sweetener contains a lot of fructose. Kennedy blames corn syrup for widespread obesity and diabetes in the United States. However, scientists do not consider cane sugar to be healthier.
Maiss syrup has been widespread as a sweetener in the United States since the 1970s. The reason is state subsidies for corn farmers and high import duties on cane sugar. The middle west of the United States, the so-called corn belt, is a stronghold of Trump supporters.
The Association of Corn Raffineries (CRA) had therefore sharply criticized the president’s announcement. The replacement of corn syrup with cane sugar would “cost thousands of jobs in American food production, reduce the income of farmers and increase the imports of foreign sugar,” warned Cra chairman John Bode. According to the US media, the US state of Florida in particular would benefit from a switch to cane sugar, where Trump has his place of residence.
Trump’s favorite drink from Coca-Cola is sugar-free diet cola that is sweetened with aspartame. After returning to the White House, the President had a button installed on the desk in the Oval Office, with which he can order a Diet Coke at any time.
