Here’s Why Everyone’s Talking About a Diet Coke Shortage

If you’ve heard recently that Diet Coke might be harder to come by – or, indeed, if you’ve noticed that the drink is harder to come by – then you’re not imagining things. There’s a scarcity of Diet Coke in certain places, and now, The Coca-Cola Company itself is talking about it. 

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But why? What’s going on? And who’s affected? We’ve got what you need to know here.

The Diet Coke Shortage: It’s All Down To Aluminum

As The Independent reports, the drinks brand has been affected particularly heavily by the geopolitical situation in the Middle East, and more specifically, Iran’s effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. The Gulf is a significant contributor to, and producer in, the aluminum industry, which, of course, makes the cans that Diet Cokes comes in. 

Because of this shortage, countries that sell Diet Coke primarily in cans are now finding the drink much scarcer. This is particularly evident in India, which only sells it in aluminum cans (unlike other Coca-Cola products, which are available in plastic bottles in the country). That said, The Coca-Cola Company has also responded on its US website with a statement. “an increased demand for products consumed at home and shortages of aluminum and certain ingredients have impacted our supply chain in some places,” said the drinks giant (which gave its statement, in very Gen Z fashion, without any capitalization after full stops – how trendy!). “we’ve taken measures to adapt. we want you to get the refreshment you want when you want it.”

Coca-Cola went on to say that it’s also addressing how it can tackle any further supply chain challenges. Over in India, though, industry executives told the Economic Times that new production lines could take up to a year to be fully established.

So, How Are People Responding?

With memes and parties. No, seriously. Geopolitical action and production establishment aside, customers in India are flocking to the internet to express their dismay over the lack of Diet Coke and the news that it may take up to a year before it’s fully back in action. Some bars in cities like New Delhi and Mumbai are also turning the shortage into a social opportunity. Reuters reported that one event in Mumbai held a raffle to win 50 Diet Coke cans, with entries doubling as a ticket into the party, which also sold themed drinks. “We had a cocktail menu which we call Coke-tails. The idea was to bring fans together,” Ishika Gupta, a marketing executive, said of the party. 

As yet, there doesn’t seem to be an immediate resolution to the situation — so we’ll have to wait and see how it shakes out. As Diet Coke is sold in bottles in the US, it shouldn’t be affected as heavily — but if you’ve noticed that cans are a bit harder to find, now you know why that could be the case.