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Costco switches from Pepsi to Coca-Cola at food courts nationwide
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Costco is transitioning its soft drink offerings from Pepsi to Coca-Cola in food courts nationwide. The change was implemented at the beginning of July, with Costco expecting to complete the revised food court menu by the end of this fall. The replacement will encompass all 908 Costco locations globally, which include 625 in the U.S., according to The New York Post.
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways
This story was originally published on MyNorthwest.com
Costco is transitioning its soft drink offerings from Pepsi to Coca-Cola in food courts nationwide.
The change was implemented at the beginning of July, with Costco expecting to complete the revised food court menu by the end of this fall.
Costco drops Pepsi, ushers in Coca-Cola
Costco Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ron Vachris broke the news in January, explaining that Costco would be “converting our food court fountain business back over to Coca-Cola” this summer, and the replacement will encompass all 908 Costco locations globally, which include 625 in the U.S., according to The New York Post.
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“Costco insiders and Coca-Cola fans are buzzing about the transition, which will span warehouses in 14 countries, allowing Costco members everywhere to once again enjoy their favorite Coca-Cola beverages alongside Costco’s beloved food court offerings,” Coca-Cola told FOX Business.
The fan-favorite $1.50 hot dog and soda combo has remained unchanged for decades, and has been labeled by the company as a “loss leader” among other items Costco has noted, like the $5 rotisserie chicken.
The company’s decision to revise the food court menu follows more than a decade of serving Pepsi products in its locations, starting in 2013.
Across all Costco locations, the company’s food court recorded 229 million sales of its hot dog and soda combo in fiscal year 2024, Vachris said, according to The New York Post.
The new Coca-Cola offerings inside Costco’s food courts are expected to include Original Coca-Cola, Sprite, Diet Coke, Coke Zero, Barq’s Root Beer, and Minute Maid Lemonade, according to The U.S. Sun.
Pepsi is out. Costco bringing back Coca-Cola to Florida food courts. What about the hot dogs?
Costco previously featured Coke products in its food courts but switched to Pepsi in 2013 to maintain the price of its tentpole $1.50 hot dog combo. Costco Canada announced in a social media post that “Coca-Cola has officially joined the drink lineup at Costco food courts across Canada” In June, Costco started opening its doors an hour earlier for its upper-tier members and staying open an extra hour on Saturdays for all members, closing at 7 p.m. The next new Florida location will be in The Villages in August, opening Aug. 6 at the Buffalo Ridge Shopping Plaza on County Road 466. Seven new locations opening in August openings include new stores in Florida, Texas, Nevada, Washington, Quebec, Ontario, and Mexico.
Instead, the popular warehouse retail giant is switching the drinks at the food court from Pepsi to Coke.
Customers started seeing the familiar red and white logo in the courts at the beginning of July, The Coca-Cola Company said in a statement to Fox Business. All of Costco’s food courts are expected to offer Coca-Cola products by the fall, the company said. Costco CEO Ron Vachris announced the change during the company’s shareholder meeting on January 23.
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Costco Canada, meanwhile, announced in a social media post that “Coca-Cola has officially joined the drink lineup at Costco food courts across Canada.”
Costco previously featured Coke products in its food courts but switched to Pepsi in 2013 to maintain the price of its tentpole $1.50 hot dog combo, according to CNN.
More changes to Costco opening hours, gas hours
This is only the latest change. In June, Costco started opening its doors an hour earlier for its upper-tier members and staying open an extra hour on Saturdays for all members, closing at 7 p.m.
Costco also recently expanded its gas station hours for all members to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturdays and 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Sundays. The move led to record fuel sales, Fox Business reported.
Where is Costco opening new locations in Florida?
Costco announced plans in March to open 25-30 new locations every year, typically with half of them in the U.S. and the other half in international markets. Seven new locations opening in August openings include new stores in Florida, Texas, Nevada, Washington, Quebec, Ontario, and Mexico.
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One new Costo opened in Stuart in April to about 1,000 people waiting outside.
The next new Florida location will be in The Villages in August, opening Aug. 6 at the Buffalo Ridge Shopping Plaza on County Road 466. The doors will open at 8 a.m. to welcome shoppers, a Costco spokesperson told The Daily Commercial.
A new Costco is projected to open in The Villages before the end of summer 2025.
The Villages Costco will launch with membership incentives for new members signing up for the first time or for lapsed members with expired memberships of at least 18 months. The offer will be on the website before opening, although a time frame has not been announced.
Elsewhere around the state, another new Costco is reportedly coming to Sanford, and talks are in the works for more potential spots, including Port St. Lucie, Pensacola and Miami.
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Recalls: Florida Costco shoppers urged to stop using these recalled items immediately
Where can I find a Costco near me in Florida?
As of July 22, there are 35 Costco locations in Florida. You can see the list here.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Costco food court drinks changing Coca-Cola, not Pepsi, in Florida
Coca-Cola responds to Trump ingredient swap announcement
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. President Trump announced Wednesday that Coca-Cola has agreed to use “REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States” The potential change aligns with the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again initiative, which has urged food companies to eliminate potentially harmful ingredients to consumers. The switch to high-fructose corn syrup began in 1984, abandoning real sugar due to cost considerations, as reported by the New York Times. The sweetener is created by converting cornstarch into corn syrup, then using enzymes to transform some glucose into fructose, per the FDA. The most popular one used in soda is metabolized in the liver.
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience.
Yahoo is using AI to generate takeaways from this article. This means the info may not always match what’s in the article. Reporting mistakes helps us improve the experience. Generate Key Takeaways
President Trump announced Wednesday on his social media platform, Truth Social, that Coca-Cola has agreed to use “REAL Cane Sugar in Coke in the United States” following his discussions with the company.
While Coca-Cola has not officially confirmed they’re onboard with Trump’s sugar swap, they acknowledged changes are coming to their product lineup.
“We appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm for our iconic Coca-Cola brand,” a company spokesperson stated.
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“More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon.”
Many Americans already enjoy Coca-Cola made with real cane sugar through “Mexican Coke,” which is imported to the United States in distinctive glass bottles.
The switch to high-fructose corn syrup
Coca-Cola began using high-fructose corn syrup in 1984, abandoning real sugar due to cost considerations, as reported by the New York Times.
The sweetener is created by converting cornstarch into corn syrup, then using enzymes to transform some glucose into fructose, per the FDA.
Pepsico CEO, Ramon Laguarta, rival company to Coca-Cola, highlighted the economic factors behind an industry-wide shift to CNBC: “Sugar is more expensive in the U.S. than in many parts of the world.”
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The potential change aligns with the Trump administration’s Make America Healthy Again initiative, which has urged food companies to eliminate potentially harmful ingredients to consumers, including artificial dyes.
“At first glance, you wouldn’t think it’s a big deal, but the different sweeteners are metabolized differently in the body,” explains Shawn Talbott PhD, LDN, a nutritional biochemist and licensed dietitian nutritionist who has helped multiple food companies formulate their products.
“The most popular one used in soda is metabolized in the liver, so if you’re consuming a lot of it, it can lead to a wide variety of health problems like diabetes, inflammation, elevated triglycerides and fat gain, especially around the midsection,” Talbott told Readers Digest.
Trump Coca-Cola connection
Shortly after beginning his second term, President Trump received “the first ever Presidential Commemorative Inaugural Diet Coke bottle” from Coca-Cola CEO James Quincey.
The gift came as a nod to Trump’s well-known affinity for Diet Coke, which included having a special “valet button” in the Oval Office during his first term in office, specifically for ordering the beverage from White House staff. The Wall Street Journal reports this button was “set up and ready to go” soon after Trump returned to office.
As Americans await official confirmation from Coca-Cola about potential formula changes, the possible return to real sugar would mark a full-circle moment for the beverage giant, potentially restoring the classic recipe that many Americans still remember from before 1984.
Coca-Cola cane sugar: Trump takes credit for changing American recipe
President Donald Trump announced Wednesday that Coke is changing its American recipe. American Coca-Cola is made with high-fructose corn syrup, something that Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has aggressively advocated against. Its Mexican counterpart is made from cane sugar, a significant export of the country, and is commercially available in the US. The CEO of PepsiCo did not confirm when asked by CNBC if the company would remove high- fructose corn Syrup, but said there is “opportunity” for sugar cane in their products. He added that it is important, “we have choices for the consumer, which, at the end, that’s what we as a responsible company need to do in the marketplace.”
President Donald Trump announced what could be refreshing news to some Americans on Wednesday: thanks to him, Coke is changing its American recipe.
“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. I’d like to thank all of those in authority at Coca-Cola,” Trump said in a post to social media. “This will be a very good move by them — You’ll see. It’s just better!”
A spokesperson for The Coca-Cola Company did not confirm the change, but told CNN in a statement, “We appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm for our iconic Coca-Cola brand. More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon.”
The president’s devotion to Diet Coke has been well-documented, including his “Diet Coke button,” a small wooden box with a red button on the Resolute Desk of the Oval Office that summons a presidential valet to deliver the beverage.
He has, however, sparred with the company in the past, including in 2021, when Coca-Cola spoke out against its home state of Georgia’s laws restricting voting access. His properties, however, continued to sell its products.
Even back in 2012, the then-businessman posted that the company was “not happy” with him, but conceded, “That’s okay, I’ll still keep drinking that garbage.”
Things appeared to sweeten in January when Coca-Cola chairman James Quincey presented Trump with an Inaugural Diet Coke Bottle ahead of his second swearing-in. That commemorative bottle – and Trump’s Wednesday announcement – are just some of many examples that underscore the president’s newfound power in corporate America in his second term.
American Coca-Cola is made with high-fructose corn syrup, something that Trump’s Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., has aggressively advocated against. Its Mexican counterpart is made with cane sugar, a significant export of the country, and is commercially available in the US.
On Thursday, the CEO of PepsiCo did not confirm when asked by CNBC if the Coca-Cola rival would remove high-fructose corn syrup, but said there is “opportunity” for sugar cane in their products.
“Sugar is more expensive in the US than in many parts of the world, so I think there is a conversation with the government probably on how do we make sugar more affordable in the US, how do we have a farming strategy probably that reduces the cost of sugar and that will facilitate a lot of the transition for us and for the whole industry,” Ramon Laguarta said.
Laguarta, who noted that 60% of PepsiCo’s US beverages already do not contain high-fructose corn syrup, added that it’s important, “we have choices for the consumer, which, at the end, that’s what we as a responsible company need to do in the marketplace.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
Coca-Cola Switching Back to Cane Sugar
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on social media that Coca-Cola would begin using cane sugar in its beverages in the United States. The soft drink giant has used corn syrup for decades in the U.S., but now plans to switch back to cane sugar. The company did not directly confirm this claim, but did not deny it, either. It’s not clear when – or if – the company will officially roll out the new formula to U.s. markets..
On Wednesday afternoon, United States President Donald Trump announced on social media that Coca-Cola would begin using cane sugar in its beverages in the United States rather than the corn syrup that it has used for decades in the U.S. market.
“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,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social this week. “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!”
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For several decades, Coca-Cola produced for the United States market has been sweetened with corn syrup after the company announced in 1984 that it would “significantly increase” the amount of corn syrup in the formula.
Plastic bottles that read “100% Recycled Bottle” of Coca-Cola sit on the shelf at a store in Stevensville, Maryland, on March 25, 2025. JIM WATSON/Getty Images
However, the company does use cane sugar in other countries, including Mexico and many European countries. Now, it sounds like Coca-Cola plans to move back to cane sugar for the U.S. market, as well.
While Coca-Cola did not directly confirm this claim from Trump, they did not deny the move, either. The company also expressed gratitude for Trump’s enthusiasm and promised “more details” on future innovation in the near future.
“We appreciate President Trump’s enthusiasm for our iconic Coca-Cola brand,” a company spokesperson said in a statement, via NBC News. “More details on new innovative offerings within our Coca-Cola product range will be shared soon.”
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It’s not clear when – or if – Coca-Cola will confirm the move itself. There is also no clear timeline for when the company will officially roll out the new formula to U.S. markets.
Coca-Cola Switching Back to Cane Sugar first appeared on Men’s Journal on Jul 17, 2025
Source: https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/6375982028112