Cane Sugar vs High-Fructose Corn Syrup
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2don MSN
Coca-Cola Chairman and CEO James Quincey said Coke will expand its product range. Corn producers in Illinois are concerned that a shift away from high-fructose corn syrup could hit them hard.
PepsiCo and Dr Pepper have sold versions of their flagship sodas sweetened with cane sugar since 2009. Coca-Cola has sold Mexican Coke — which uses cane sugar — in the U.S. since 2005, but it’s positioned a trendy alternative and sold in glass bottles. Coke with cane sugar will likely be more widely available.
Mexican Coke sweetened with cane sugar tends to be a go-to beverage for Coca-Cola fans who want to avoid the U.S.-made version of the beverage with corn syrup. But soon, Coca-Cola will offer a version of its classic beverage sweetened with cane sugar manufactured in the U.S., according to multiple reports.
2don MSN
Louisiana has also seen production expand. The state has specifically seen an increase in sugarcane acreage when returns for competing crops, such as rice and soybeans, have decreased, according to the USDA. Each year from 2017 to 2021, the state produced 1.782 million tons of unrefined sugar.
As Coca-Cola confirms plans to release the cane sugar alternative in the U.S., some nutritionists said there is little health benefit as a replacement for high-fructose corn syrup.