PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta has announced that the company will reduce its use of high-fructose corn syrup in its beverages. Instead,  cane sugar will be added. This move aligns with consumer preferences and echoes a recent announcement by former President Donald Trump, who stated that Coca-Cola would also take a similar approach.

High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is a type of man-made sugar that is added to foods. It does not occur naturally, and is comprised of fructose and glucose. However, cane sugar is a disaccharide composed of equal parts glucose and fructose, meaning it contains 50% glucose and 50% fructose. So other than the fact that one occurs in nature and the other does not, the contents of the soda have not been altered in a meaningful way. Sugar will react in the human body in incredibly similar fashions regardless of the type. 

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This shift from HFCS to cane sugar reflects a desire for more natural ingredients. However, the amount of sugar in the soda will likely still be massively high, contributing to diabetes. 

PepsiCo plans to relaunch its Lay’s and Tostitos brands to highlight their lack of artificial colors and flavors, part of a wider initiative to replace canola and soybean oils with olive and avocado oils.

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Earlier this year in April, PepsiCo committed to accelerating its phase-out of artificial food dyes, following an FDA ban on two synthetic dyes. (Some were simply rebranded, however, and will go by names that appear to be more “natural” in order to trick the public.) By the end of 2025, Lay’s and Tostitos will be fully free of artificial coloring, building on efforts seen in PepsiCo’s Simply line, which already offers chips without artificial additives.

Will these changes make a difference? Or is simply switching out the artificial sugar for natural sugar only “sugar coating the situation?” Let us know in the comments!