Coca-Cola Switching Back to Cane Sugar

Coca-Cola is one of the most iconic and recognizable brands and flavors on the planet, but it sounds like the soft drink giant is set to make a subtle tweak to its formula in the United States.

On Wednesday afternoon, United States President Donald Trump announced on social media that Coca-Cola would begin using cane sugar in its beverages in the United States rather than the corn syrup that it has used for decades in the U.S. market.

"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 wrote in a post on Truth Social this week. "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!"

For several decades, Coca-Cola produced for the United States market has been sweetened with corn syrup after the company announced in 1984 that it would "significantly increase" the amount of corn syrup in the formula.

Plastic bottles that read "100% Recycled Bottle" of Coca-Cola sit on the shelf at a store in Stevensville, Maryland, on March 25, 2025. 

JIM WATSON/Getty Images

However, the company does use cane sugar in other countries, including Mexico and many European countries. Now, it sounds like Coca-Cola plans to move back to cane sugar for the U.S. market, as well.

While Coca-Cola did not directly confirm this claim from Trump, they did not deny the move, either. The company also expressed gratitude for Trump's enthusiasm and promised "more details" on future innovation in the near future.

"We appreciate President Trump's enthusiasm for our iconic Coca-Cola brand," a company spokesperson said in a statement, via NBC News. "More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon."

It's not clear when – or if – Coca-Cola will confirm the move itself. There is also no clear timeline for when the company will officially roll out the new formula to U.S. markets.