Coca-Cola is about to change its recipe?
Previously, Trump expressed on his social media platform that Coca-Cola had agreed to use real cane sugar in the production of Coca-Cola in the United States. “I want to thank all the top executives at Coca-Cola. This will be a very correct step for them—you’ll see, it’s better this way!”
Source: X (Twitter) screenshot
At that time, Coca-Cola responded by stating they did not commit to any changes and also mentioned in a statement, “We appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm for our iconic brand, Coca-Cola. We will share more details soon about the innovations in our Coca-Cola product line.”
On July 22, Coca-Cola released its financial report for the second quarter of 2025. In the report, Coca-Cola announced plans to launch a product using American cane sugar in the fall of this year to expand its Coca-Cola trademark product line.
According to media reports, Coca-Cola currently uses corn syrup in the United States, while in markets like Mexico and Europe, it uses cane sugar. It remains unclear whether the company plans to modify the original formula of Coca-Cola in the US or introduce new products.
On July 17, PepsiCo stated that if consumers have a demand, their beverage products will also use cane sugar.
Is the formula of Coca-Cola truly different around the world? What’s the difference between adding corn syrup to Coca-Cola and using cane sugar?
Are there many different formulas for Coca-Cola?
To conclude: The formula of Coca-Cola indeed has multiple versions, taking classic flavors as an example, the formulation varies slightly from one country to another.
Let’s start with North America. The ingredients of American and Canadian Coca-Colas are mostly the same, containing carbonated water, caramel coloring, phosphoric acid, natural flavorings, and caffeine. The only difference is the sugar. In the US, it’s high fructose corn syrup, while in Canada, it’s cane sugar/glucose fructose.
Located in Latin America, the formula for Coca-Cola in Mexico consists of carbonated water, white sugar (sucrose), caramel coloring, phosphoric acid, flavorings, and caffeine.
Source: Tmall Global Super Store
Turning our attention to Europe, the Coca-Cola formulas in the UK, France, and Germany are essentially consistent, with the UK and France listing carbonated water as a component, while Germany splits it into water and carbon dioxide, essentially identical to carbonated water. Other ingredients include sucrose, caramel coloring, phosphoric acid, natural flavors, and caffeine.
In Asia, Japan’s version of Coca-Cola contains fructose glucose syrup (fructose syrup), white sugar, carbonated water, caramel coloring, sour agents, flavorings, and caffeine. The Korean version sold on e-commerce platforms contains maltose syrup, white sugar, crystalline fructose, three types of sugar, and other ingredients including regular water, carbon dioxide, caramel coloring, phosphoric acid, flavorings, and caffeine.
Source: Coca-Cola official website; Taobao Happy Xixi Lifestyle Store
In Mainland China, the main components of Coca-Cola are water, fructose syrup, white sugar, food additives (carbon dioxide, caramel coloring, phosphoric acid, caffeine), flavorings, and edible essence. In Hong Kong, China, the ingredients are carbonated water, white sugar, caramel coloring, acidity regulator, caffeine, and other seasonings.
Source: Taobao Coca-Cola flagship store; Coca-Cola official website
It is worth mentioning that although the main ingredients of Coca-Cola are public knowledge, the “7X” core technology has never been disclosed. A book titled “I Am Me: Coca-Cola” published by Renmin University of China Press in 2016 mentioned that “7X” consists of three key ingredients, each held by a senior employee of the company. To prevent accidental loss of the secret recipe, the three were not allowed to travel together using the same means of transportation.
Overall, the biggest difference in the ingredients of Coca-Cola across different regions lies in the sugar content.
Currently, the sweeteners used by Coca-Cola primarily include high fructose corn syrup, sucrose (white sugar), fruit juice concentrate, malt syrup, and crystalline fructose.
Why do different countries and regions use different types of sugar in their Coca-Colas?
Liu Shaowei, a director of the Shanghai Food Safety Research Association, told Yiduo that this is mainly due to cost issues.
“This includes the sources of raw materials, costs, and cost-effectiveness. The United States has a larger corn planting area, so compared to it, the American version of Coca-Cola uses low-cost high fructose corn syrup instead of sucrose. Moreover, as long as the final flavor consistency or basic consistency of the beverage meets local standards, there is no mandatory requirement for using certain ingredients,” Liu said.
So, is the sugar in American Coca-Cola always high fructose corn syrup?
The Sweeteners in American Coca-Cola
A lesser-known fact: Coca-Cola originally used corn syrup rather than sugar.
In 1886, a pharmacist named John Pemberton from Atlanta, Georgia, USA, added different ingredients into a triangular pot to create a caramel-colored liquid. After adding soda water, he produced the world-famous carbonated drink: Coca-Cola.
Pemberton | Image source: Reference [3]
Initially developing this beverage, Pemberton added nearly 12 kinds of spices including fruit extracts and essential oils. With spices, it was necessary to pair them with a large amount of sugar. It’s worth mentioning that Pemberton initially only chose sugar.
At the time, Pemberton specified in the recipe: each gallon of Coca-Cola required more than 5 pounds of sugar.
The choice of sugar for Coca-Cola was mainly because of its large production and affordability. Data from “The Coca-Cola Empire” by Barto J. Elmore illustrates this point.
In the 1890s, the United States market was flooded with an unprecedented abundance of sugar and its price was incredibly low, at just 4 cents per pound. In 1895 alone, Coca-Cola Company purchased over 380,000 pounds of sugar from the Boston-based Rivel Sugar Company in Massachusetts.
Around the year 1915, Coca-Cola had become the world’s largest buyer of sugar. Over the next 60 years, sugar prices fluctuated, but Coca-Cola managed to survive the price wars by always using the same sweeteners. It wasn’t until the 1970s that sugar prices experienced a rollercoaster ride, prompting Coca-Cola to seek alternatives to sugar.
A new sweetener appeared on Coca-Cola’s radar: high fructose corn syrup. The company used a bacterial enzyme called isomerase to convert glucose molecules extracted from cornstarch into sweeter fructose molecules, then produced a new concentrated syrup—high fructose corn syrup.
In 1974, Coca-Cola conducted a trial substitution experiment. Instead of directly risking their brand, they first altered the formulas of non-Coca-Cola beverages (including Sprite, Mr. Pip, and Fanta) to increase the use of high fructose corn syrup to 25%. A year later, Coca-Cola began adding 50% high fructose corn syrup to their products; by 1985, the content of high fructose corn syrup in all Coca-Cola and non-Coca-Cola beverages in the US had reached 100%.
After the substitution, consumer feedback was positive, and there was no strong opposition to the change. Additionally, corn prices were cheaper than sugar, with some corn refineries selling high fructose corn syrup at a lower price than sugar by 10% to 15%. Consequently, high fructose corn syrup officially entered Coca-Cola’s production line, marking the end of the era where Coca-Cola used sugar.
So, excluding the cost considerations, what is the difference between sucrose and high fructose corn syrup?
What are the differences between different sugars?
Internationally, sweeteners are generally categorized into three groups. One group consists of table sugars such as sucrose and dextrose; another group includes substitutes for table sugars like sugar alcohols; and the third group comprises high-strength sweeteners like saccharin, aspartame, and acesulfame. The chemical structure, sweetness, and application scenarios of these sugars differ significantly. For example, in terms of sweetness, fructose is the most sweet, followed by sucrose, caramelized sugar, maltose, glucose, and lactose.
Source: Reference [4]
Now, specifically focusing on the main characters of this event—sucrose and high fructose corn syrup—what are their differences?
Let’s start with sucrose. Sucrose is the most common sweetener extracted from sugarcane or sugar beets, formed by condensing one glucose molecule and one fructose molecule together. Common table sugars such as granulated sugar, brown sugar, and molasses are all sucrose.
Chemical structure of sucrose | Source: Reference [4]
High fructose corn syrup contains glucose, maltose, high-fructose syrup, and amylase, also known as starch syrup. In its production, cornstarch is first broken down into glucose through amylases, and then some of the glucose is converted into fructose using another enzyme.
Generally, high fructose corn syrup is composed of 55% fructose and 45% glucose. This composition is due to the higher fructose content compared to glucose, giving it the name “high fructose”.
In terms of sweetness, there is not much difference between sucrose and high fructose corn syrup, to say the least, both have a sweetness level of 1.0.
Source: Reference [4]
However, according to China News Service, some food scientists have indicated that there are subtle differences in flavor between these two sweeteners. High fructose corn syrup has a sweeter peak earlier, which helps enhance the flavors of fruits and spices. Sucrose, on the other hand, has a broader sweetness and a longer duration.
Given that the sweetness and taste differ little between the two sugars, is there a difference in health perspective?
Studies have shown that both sucrose and high fructose corn syrup can pose certain health risks to humans. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism in 2021 by the University of California, Davis, suggests that sucrose may be as harmful to health as high fructose corn syrup.
The study found that both high fructose corn syrup and sucrose affect liver fat, insulin sensitivity, blood lipids, lipoproteins, and uric acid levels. Specifically, both sweeteners increase liver fat, blood lipids, lipoproteins, and uric acid content while reducing insulin sensitivity. However, the effects of high fructose corn syrup and sucrose were not significantly different. In terms of increasing the risk of heart metabolic diseases, the effects of the two sugars were comparable.
A study led by the Baylor College of Medicine and the Weill Cornell Medicine in 2019 directly pointed out the negative impact of high fructose corn syrup. The research team used a mouse model for colon cancer to test the effects of consuming high fructose corn syrup on tumor growth. They found that tumors could effectively absorb fructose and glucose through various pathways, even with minimal intake of high fructose corn syrup, promoting tumor growth.
Comparison of tumor size in mice before and after consumption of high fructose corn syrup | Source: Reference [6]
In any case, no matter which sugar is consumed in excess, it is not beneficial to consume more than necessary. Controlling the amount of sugar intake is undoubtedly the right approach.
The “Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2022)” recommend that adults should not exceed a daily intake of 50g of added sugar, preferably keeping it below 25g.
So whether the American version of Coca-Cola changes its formula or not, the amount of sugar will remain the same. As to which sweetener is better, let the taste buds decide.
[1] Barto J. Elmore. The Empire of Coca-Cola: A History of Resource Destruction [M]. Shanghai People’s Publishing House, 2018.
[2] Tom Strandich. God’s Drink: The Story of Six Bottles [M]. CITIC Publishing Group, 2017.
[3] Peng Jianfeng, Tong Rugen, Ma Huiying. I Am Coca-Cola: Coca-Cola [M]. Renmin University of China Press, 2016.
[4] Yang Yuexin, Ge Keyou. Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Chinese Nutrition [M]. People’s Health Publishing House, 2019.
[5] The Paper News: Trump Wants Coca-Cola to Change Its Formula, Followed by…
[6] Dwsiree M. Sigala, et al. Consuming Sucrose-or HFCS-sweetened Beverages Increases Hepatic Lipid and Decreases Insulin Sensitivity in Adults [J]. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2021, Vol.106, No.11, 3248-3264.
[6] Marcus D. Goncalves, et al.
High-fructose corn syrup enhances intestinal tumor growth in mice[J]. Science, 2019, Vol.363, Issue 6433, 1345-1349.