Recently, Costco has decided to make a change in its food courts, replacing all PepsiCo products with products from The Coca-Cola Company. This change includes Coca-Cola, Minute Maid, and Sprite. This change has had such an impact that even President Donald Trump, on Truth Social, has stated that he wants to replace the sugar in beverages with cane sugar. Amidst this commotion, NBC News has reported that this change has not yet been officially confirmed. In the article, Dariush Mozzaffarian, the director of the Food is Medicine Institute at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, said there are minimal health benefits to be gained from such a switch. Read on to find out all the latest news about the changes at Costco and The Coca-Cola Company.
The Costco replacement in all drinks fountains
One of the wold’s largest retailers is shaking up the assortment of soft drinks on offer at its food courts. Costco, a membership-only hypermarket with over 600 warehouse stores in the U.S., is about to displace Pepsi with Coca-Cola in all drinks fountains at its food courts. The modification is also taking place across the chain’s close to 300 locations outside America. The modification from Pepsi to its beverage-industry arch opponent “began rolling out across all Costco warehouses” at the begining of July, the Seattle-based company told Fox Business in a statement thislast weekend.
“Coca-Cola fans are buzzing about the transition”
Cotstco has explained that theuir insiders and Coca-Cola fans are buzzing about the transition, which will span warehouses in 14 countries, permitting Costco members everywhere to once again have a taste of their favorite Coca-Cola beverages alongside Costco’s beloved food court offerings.
Ron Vachris, Costco’s CEO, had confirmed plans to change to Coca-Cola in an annual shareholder meeting in January. In addition, he has explained that this summer, they will be converting our food court fountain business back over to Coca-Cola.
Where does change come from?
The initiative comes more than a decade after the hypermarket chain, which is at this time the globe’s third-largest retailer by revenue, opted to replace Coca-Cola with Pepsi at its food courts in 2013.
As noted by Costco Insider, the modification back to Coca-Cola means Costco customers will not only permit to order regular Coke at the retail’s food courts, but also other Coca-Cola Company beverages like Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Sprite and Minute Maid Lemonade.
Is Coca-Cola changing its recipe?
Costco’s roll-out of Coca-Cola products has happened at the same time with claims by the U.S. president, Donald Trump, that the soft-drink giant has agreed to modify the recipe of the beverages it sells in the States.
In a recent post on his social-media platform Truth Social last Wednesday, Trump explained that he has persuaded the manufacturer to sweeten its soft drinks with cane sugar, rather than high-fructose corn syrup.
“I have been speaking to Coca-Cola about using REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States, and they have agreed to do so,” the president alleged. “I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola. This will be a very good move by them – You’ll see. It’s just better!”
Coca-Cola has not confirmed the change yet
Nevertheless, Coca-Cola has not confirmed the change. They appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm for our iconic Coca-Cola brand, as a spokesperson said in a statement to NBC News.
“More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon.”
Speaking to NBC, Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, the director of the Food is Medicine Institute at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, said there are minimal health benefits to be gained from such a switch.
“Both high-fructose corn syrup and cane sugar are about 50% fructose, 50% glucose, and have identical metabolic effects,” Dr. Mozaffarian explained.