Coca-Cola has confirmed that it plans to roll out a product made with cane sugar in the U.S., but will also continue to sell the traditional version of the drink, which contains corn syrup.
Tuesday's announcement by Coca-Cola followed comments made by U.S. President Donald Trump, who announced that the company would use cane sugar in the U.S.
Coca-Cola said it would not replace the corn syrup currently used but would introduce a new product range with cane sugar. It is scheduled to hit the market in the autumn.
In the U.S., Mexican Coca-Cola with cane sugar is already available at a higher price. Unlike in other countries, Coca-Cola drinks containing sugar have been sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup in the U.S. production since the 1980s.
The syrup is cheaper, sweeter and has a longer shelf life than other types of sugar.
It has been criticized as unhealthy primarily by Trump's Health Secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr.
Trump himself is known to drink sugar-free Diet Coke, which contains sweeteners.
Nevertheless, he wrote last week that everyone would soon realize that Coca-Cola with cane sugar was "just better."
Industry experts then pointed out that the U.S. does not produce enough cane sugar to replace corn syrup in beverages. The U.S. agricultural industry also warned that switching to cane sugar would harm U.S. corn farmers.
Earlier in the day, the Coca-Cola Company posted strong second quarter results, with profit and revenue rising from a year earlier and earnings topping analyst estimates.
Net income rose to $3.81 billion, or $0.88 per share, compared to $2.41 billion, or $0.56 per share, in the same period last year.
Excluding one-time items, adjusted earnings came in at $3.77 billion, or $0.87 per share, above the consensus estimate of $0.84 per share. Analyst estimates typically exclude special items.
Revenue increased 1.4% year-over-year to $12.54 billion, up from $12.36 billion a year ago.
