HFCS to Real Sugar. Are You Ready???

Do you really want to get a call from your CEO asking, “What are we doing about HFCS?” After a random tweet?  Or another MAHA report rumor?  Will you be ready?

Major food companies are increasingly moving away from high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), driven by perceived health concerns and the demand from consumers and policymakers for cleaner labels.

Earlier this year Tyson announced it would eliminate HFCS from all of its U.S. products by the end of 2025.

Whole Foods just shared “sweet, but make it mindful” as a trend to watch in 2026. The retailer predicts that consumers will embrace real sugar, but less of it in the new year – driving demand for products sweetened with cane sugar, honey and fruit instead of other alternatives.

Make it sweet. Make it a healthy portion size. And make it REALLY, REALLY DELICIOUS!

And just today, Coca-Cola announced that its “Cane Sugar Coke” is now rolling out to “select” cities and retailers before an expected nationwide rollout in the months to come.

Consumers and policymakers alike continue to push for food and beverages with less sugar, fewer artificial ingredients, and greater nutritional value. This presents both exciting opportunities for real sugar and fresh challenges for product developers and formulators.

From baked beans to chicken sausages to beverages, this transition is underway, and if you don’t have an HFCS reformulation team, you are already behind.

The good news is that once the reformulation is complete, the logistics of changing operations from one liquid to another are relatively simple.

So where would this excess corn go? There are approximately 16.8B bushels of genetically modified corn produced per year in the US;  400MM go to corn syrup – 2% of the entire crop.  Most of the corn grown in the US goes to animal feed. So let's stop thinking that the use of HFCS is supporting American farmers. Increased demand for American cane and beet sugar would be more beneficial for US Agriculture because sugar has fewer alternative commercial uses than corn.

Before the CEO calls your phone, call ours.

Sugaright is poised to take your questions about transitioning from HFCS to liquid sugar.