President Donald Trump claimed Wednesday that Coca-Cola will begin using cane sugar in its U.S. products—a change that, if true, would mark a major shift in the soda giant’s long-standing formula. But Coca-Cola itself has yet to confirm any such move.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had spoken with Coca-Cola executives about switching from high-fructose corn syrup to cane sugar and that the company had agreed. “This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!” he wrote.
However, when asked by NBC News to clarify Trump’s statement, Coca-Cola did not confirm the change. “We appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm for our iconic Coca-Cola brand,” a company spokesperson said. “More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon.”
For decades, Coca-Cola produced for the U.S. market has been sweetened primarily with corn syrup—a switch the company made in 1984 for economic reasons. At the time, The New York Times reported that Coca-Cola would “significantly increase” its use of corn syrup in bottled and canned products, while retaining flexibility to use other sweeteners.
By contrast, Coca-Cola products in other countries—including Mexico and much of Europe—are routinely made with cane sugar, a distinction long noted by American consumers who import “Mexican Coke” for its perceived superior taste.
One notable exception to the corn syrup standard in the U.S. has been Coca-Cola’s special Kosher for Passover production. In the weeks leading up to Pesach, the company makes a limited run of cane sugar-sweetened Coke to comply with Jewish dietary restrictions that prohibit the consumption of kitniyot, including corn, during Pesach. These seasonal bottles, often identified by their yellow caps, are sought after even by consumers who are not observant or even Jewish, due to their different taste.
Trump’s announcement appears to align with the broader goals of the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, a loosely organized campaign supported by Trump allies and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that urges food companies to eliminate artificial dyes and processed ingredients. Kennedy has advocated for more whole-food diets and criticized the excessive sugar consumption in the American diet.
Despite Trump’s confidence, it remains unclear whether Coca-Cola plans to fully replace corn syrup with cane sugar in its U.S. offerings, or whether the company is simply exploring new limited-run products or variations.
Trump, a well-known fan of Coca-Cola—particularly Diet Coke—has long made headlines for his beverage preferences, including reports of a button in the Oval Office that summoned the soda on demand.
For now, Coca-Cola fans in the U.S. will have to wait and see whether Trump’s claim materializes—or if the yellow-capped Passover bottles will remain the only cane sugar option stateside.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
6 Responses
The corn syrup is only one reason that regular Coke is not KFP.
There are flavorings in Coke that are quite possibly from grain products. Those flavorings are substituted for Pesach.
Is YWN going to take responsibility for people buying the chometz item and CHV using it on Pesach?
Do you even know what you’re talking about when you come up with such a stupid headlines? Do you even know what the ingredients are to Coca-Cola? Do you know which ingredients are actually chometz or kitnios that you’re talking about?
Why don’t you just stop yammering shtissim and leave kashrus to the kashrus professionals ?!?!? Especially when you don’t know what you’re talking about!
On a personal level, I really hope they don’t switch it out. Switching out to sugar will hurt thousands and thousands of American farmers out there who grow the corn that’s used for corn syrup, as well as major companies that produce the corn syrup and distribute it.
Besides Corn Syrup, there may or may not be other ingredients that get changed for Pesach. Carmel for example, can be made from sugar, which would be totally fine for Pesach. Carmel can also be made from corn and even wheat. I think it’s smart to wait and hear what the Kashrus agencies have to say on this matter, before relying on whether it’s a sugar sweetener or a corn sweetener to decide if it’s indeed KFP.
It is never a good idea to make public statements on issues like this that can have halachik ramifications without confirming with people who are in the know.
As consumers, never assume you know what you are purchasing by reading an ingredient panel without knowing what is actually in the product.
If the government is now going to be encouraging sugar as opposed to corn sweeteners, and this is widely adopted, it may have a profound impact on kashrus for Pesach since the marginal cost of a kosher company making a product for Pesach will fall if the issue has been the year-round use of corn sweetener (which is kitniyos, which is an issue for most American Hareidim). It should be noted that the United States is a bit too cool to produce much sugar, whereas we have a perfect climate for corn, so that Trump’s tariff policies may impair adequate sugar imports. Also, the “health” lobby has for years been denouncing sugar and supporting use of corn sweeteners.
Don’t forget corn makes bourbon. The corn farmers can now make bourbon… Kosher for Pesach??
Don’t forget that corn also makes bourbon. The corn farmers can just grow the corn for bourbon instead. Kosher for Pesach????