Pepsi Weighs In After Trump Says Rival Coke Will Use Cane Sugar

Pepsi is promising to deliver want customers want – with or without high fructose corn syrup.

PepsiCo chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta told investors the beverage giant plans to follow the tastebuds of customers during a fortuitously timed earnings call Thursday, one day after President Donald Trump said the company’s rival, Coca-Cola, agreed to switch using to cane sugar in Coke manufactured in the United States.

“Listen, same journey that we have in foods, we’re following in beverages,” Laguarta said on the call when asked about Trump’s comments. “This is a consumer-centric strategy. We’re following the consumer. If the consumer is telling us that they prefer products that have sugar and they prefer products that have natural ingredients, we will give the consumer products that have sugar and have natural ingredients.”

PepsiCo aims to aims to follow the public’s lead, trying to be a “little bit maybe one step ahead of the consumer, but not too many steps,” said Laguarta, who has led the food and beverage company since 2018.

“And it applies to both beverages and food,” he continued. “In particular, we have a journey to – and a technical roadmap – to eliminate artificial colors and artificial flavors from our beverages the same as we do for our food business, and we’ll be able to execute as the regulations evolve, or consumer preference evolve.”

Trump said in a post on Truth Social Wednesday that Coca-Cola had agreed to use real cane sugar in U.S production instead of high-fructose corn syrup, but the company did not immediately confirm the switch.

“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. “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!”

Coca-Cola, which said it plans to share details of new products soon, currently uses cane sugar in beverages sold in other countries, such as Mexico and Australia.

“We appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm for our iconic Coca‑Cola brand,” the company told Newsweek in a statement Wednesday. “More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca‑Cola product range will be shared soon.”

Trump, meanwhile, is vocal proponent of Diet Coke, which uses aspartame, a low-calorie artificial sweetener. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy wants food companies to reformulate some products by eliminating ingredients such as artificial dyes.

A report released in May by Make America Health Again (MAHA) Commission determined that significant consumption of high-fructose corn syrup could contribute to childhood obesity and other health concerns, findings that have been know by researchers for at least 20 years.