President Donald Trump announced that Coca-Cola will return to using cane sugar in its soda after he convinced the Atlanta-based beverage company to make the change.
Coca-Cola will start removing processed high-fructose corn syrup from its U.S. products, which critics claim is far less healthy than organic cane sugar.
"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. l'd like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola," Trump wrote on Truth Social on July 17.
"This will be a very good move by them — You'll see. It's just better!" the president added.
Meanwhile, many countries like Mexico, Italy, and the United Kingdom still use cane sugar in their variants of Coke, while many American fans continue to prefer the taste of the real thing.
The announcement comes days after the White House released a list of changes in the nation's food supply, after massive pressure from HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the president.
The major changes include the removal of toxic synthetic dyes, seed oils, and dozens of harmful additives to solve the nation's health crisis.
Kennedy also said that artificial dyes would be phased out of domestic ice cream production and that he would approve waivers for states to ban SNAP recipients from purchasing soda and candy with government funds.
"President Donald J. Trump took office promising to confront the chronic health crisis plaguing Americans — and six months later, he is delivering on that promise by removing harmful chemicals from our food supply," the White House wrote in a press statement.
Coca-Cola had been using HFCS-55, or high-fructose corn syrup, instead of cane sugar in its American products since the 1980s, mainly due to cheaper costs.
U.S. corn subsidies and high sugar tariffs, pushed during the Reagan administration, encouraged the shift to the cheaper processed sweetener, but critics say it has accelerated America's worsening obesity crisis.
No tariffs were placed on HFCS, as it is made from domestically harvested American corn.
Some studies have linked HFCS consumption to obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and heart disease, while some scientists say that cane sugar is not chemically different from HFCS.
The MAHA Commission released a report in May, saying that substantial consumption of HFCS may play a role in childhood obesity and other negative health conditions.
The panel included Kennedy, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, and several other cabinet members and officials.
A spokesperson for Coca-Cola said it will share details on new offerings soon, and that the company appreciates the president's enthusiasm for its product, reported Reuters.
On the day of Trump's second inauguration in January, Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey presented him with a limited-edition commemorative inaugural Diet Coke bottle at a White House ceremony.
This tradition has taken place since 2005, with commemorative bottles marking presidential transitions, according to the Atlanta-based company.
The president, a well-known fan of Diet Coke, reinstalled a button on the Oval Office's Resolute Desk upon his return to the White House, dedicated to summoning a bottle of the beverage at his request.
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