Coke, Cargill enter fray as sugar dispute threatens Mexico trade

New York

SODA giant Coca-Cola Co and major corn syrup makers have joined the political battle against the US sugar industry in recent weeks, as the deadline to hammer out a years-long trade dispute with Mexico nears.

Representatives from Coca-Cola, corn syrup makers Archer Daniels Midland Co and Cargill Inc, and others met on May 10 with White House official Ray Starling, special assistant to the president for agriculture, trade and food assistance, said a number of people who attended the meeting and some of the companies involved.