President Trump announced that Coca-Cola will switch from using high-fructose corn sugar to real cane sugar in the US, leading to a potential change in the soda’s ingredients. Corn syrup producers like Archer-Daniels-Midland and Ingredion saw shares drop as investors anticipated Coke’s move to cane sugar. Futures contracts for corn also faltered.

Coca-Cola defended the use of high-fructose corn syrup, stating it is safe and similar to cane sugar. Medical experts have not found significant differences between the two sweeteners. A trade group representing corn producers argued that a switch to cane sugar could cost thousands of US jobs with no added nutritional benefit.

Coca-Cola originally switched from cane sugar to corn syrup in the 1980s to reduce costs, as cane sugar was expensive due to tariffs. US sugar prices are currently double the global rate, leading to increased costs for food and beverage companies. PepsiCo CEO mentioned that a sugar swap depends on making sugar less expensive in the US.

President Trump is known for his love of Diet Coke and has advocated against ingredients like corn syrup and artificial food dyes. PepsiCo announced plans to relaunch Lay’s and Tostitos with all-natural dyes and flavors next year. Other major food companies have pledged to stop using artificial dyes, but eliminating corn syrup may be a bigger challenge.

Read more at Yahoo Finance: White House Push for Cane-Sugar Coke Reignites Soda Wars