After Coca-Cola shifted to high-fructose corn syrup in its standard U.S. formula in the 1980s, the Passover version remained a seasonal exception. Every year in the weeks leading up to Passover, shelves fill with Coca-Cola products with the bright yellow caps, signifying that they are sweetened with cane sugar, not corn syrup.
The renewed interest in the cane sugar soda came as Coca-Cola started to expand its use of the sweetener in the U.S. beyond the seasonal product. In October 2025, Coca-Cola began rolling out cane sugar soda packaged in glass bottles. The change garnered the support of President Donald Trump, who said the cane sugar soda was “better” than the high-fructose corn syrup alternative. The product was introduced in select markets, though Coca-Cola has not indicated whether it plans to shift away from corn syrup entirely.
In this photo illustration, Coke beverages are displayed in an ice-cooler at a park on July 17, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
In recent years, the yellow cap bottles have attracted more attention on social media as some began comparing them to Mexican Coke, which is sweetened with cane sugar. While Mexican Coke is typically sold in glass bottles, and generally costs more than the soda produced in the U.S., the version that is available around Passover has the sweetener without the higher price tag.
Some social media foodies have encouraged followers to stock up on the seasonal edition of the soda because of the lower price. The posts have sparked discussions about why the cane sugar version was not available year-round. This could be due to a supply issue, as John Murphy, Coca-Cola chief financial officer, told Bloomberg News that there “is only a certain amount of cane sugar available in the United States.”
