No. 35 of 108
July 18, 2025
Coca Cola Company has not confirmed whether they will be swapping out corn fructose for cane sugar (which will be mostly imported) in Coke sold in the U.S. Corn fructose is one of the targets of the Make America Healthy Again agenda. A number of marquee food manufacturers have agreed to phase out synthetic food colors, including Heinz, Nestle, General Mills and McCormick in advance of the government’s ban of synthetic dyes in 2026. Mars Wrigley, however, has not agreed to change their recipe for M&Ms. This triggered an investigation by the Texas Attorney General of deceptive trade practices by Mars Wrigley who, in defense, says everyone knows what M&Ms looks like and tastes like and yes, it has artificial dyes. The same government agency advancing the Make America Healthy Again agenda, the Food and Drug Administration, just greenlit Juul vape products.
Knowledge of what is “good” and what is “bad” develops over time, experience, investigation, research, debate among experts, and informed decision-making. The process requires discipline, ethical behavior and decision-making, and accumulation of knowledge by folx who make this work their life’s work. Even with rigor and standards, the process is imperfect, is frequently too cautious in deciding when something is “bad”, thinks of “good” as a state of “not being bad enough to be called bad”, and is s-l-o-w. That said, what happens when the rigor and standards are thrown out? Experts at the edges of their fields become the source without peer review? Knowledge sifted to present the facts that substantiate a decision already made? Coke may taste better with cane sugar (as Hawai‘i residents of a certain age may nostalgically attest), but is it corn fructose or an abundance of sugary drinks that is unhealthy? Will we be more healthy devouring naturally dyed albeit pale gummy bears versus unnatural M&Ms? Cane-sugared Coke with pale gummy bears between vapes? Caveat emptor – buyer beware. Caveat civis – citizen beware.