For those who wondered whether President Donald J. Trump’s announcement last week of a full-sugar formula meant that Coke had experienced some kind of full MAHA conversion, today’s news pointed more towards a new denomination.
Coke CEO James Quincey told analysts on today’s second quarter earnings call that the company would be launching what amounted to a full-sugar line extension, rather than a complete formula change, as some believed Trump had indicated.
“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,” Coke noted in its current 8-K filing with the SEC. “This addition is designed to complement the company’s strong core portfolio and offer more choices across occasions and preferences.”
Many U.S. consumers already have access to cane sugar versions of Coca-Cola through “Mexican Coke,” a version imported from Mexico.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary, has campaigned against the widely-used CSD sweetener high fructose corn syrup; he has also campaigned against sugar consumption overall. Coca-Cola responded last week by defending its use of corn syrup, citing it as “safe” and as being metabolized by the body in the same manner as table sugar.
Trump is a noted Diet Coke drinker.