The debate over whether Coca-Cola should use high-fructose corn syrup or cane sugar in its signature cola obscures an important fact: Consumers are increasingly looking for Coke with no sugar at all.

Asked about the switch, a representative for Coca-Cola didn’t explicitly say it would use cane sugar for products in the U.S.

Domestic corn production has been boosted by nearly a century of subsidies in the form of direct payments, crop insurance programs, and price supports for American farmers. These totaled reached $3.2 billion in 2024, making corn the most-subsidized crop in the country.