(NewsNation) — Coca-Cola on Tuesday reported quarterly earnings that outperformed analysts’ expectations — and confirmed an upcoming recipe change-up.
“As part of its ongoing innovation agenda, this fall in the United States, the company plans to launch an offering made with U.S. cane sugar to expand its Trademark Coca-Cola product range,” the company wrote.
Coca-Cola said the blend is “designed to complement” its current product range, not replace it entirely.
The company didn’t elaborate whether it would be different from “Mexican Coke,” which is made with cane sugar and is already sold in the U.S. at a premium.
President Donald Trump last week announced the company would opt to use sugar rather than cheaper high-fructose corn syrup.
“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 on social media. “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!”
Is cane sugar healthier than high-fructose corn syrup?
According to the Department of Agriculture, cane sugar is derived directly or indirectly from sugarcane, a tall perennial grass that grows in tropical and semitropical climates.
High-fructose corn syrup is a sweetener derived from corn starch that is broken down into glucose, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
While some studies have linked high-fructose corn syrup to elevated fat production and inflammation, the FDA said it is unaware of a difference in safety between foods with high-fructose corn syrup and those “containing similar amounts of other nutritive sweeteners with approximately equal glucose and fructose content, such as sucrose, honey, or other traditional sweeteners.”
Overall, health experts advise against consuming too much of any type of sweetener or added sugars as health risks can include weight gain, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
NewsNation’s Meg Hilling contributed to this report.
