Diet Coke can shortage

Diet Coke cans have gone missing across Indian metros this week, with stockouts showing up in neighborhood stores and on Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart. (hindustantimes.com) Reuters reported on April 22 that Coca-Cola distributors in India had been told some orders would be rationed or left unfilled because aluminium can shipments from the Gulf were delayed. Reuters also reported that Diet Coke in India is sold only in cans, unlike Coke, Thums Up and Pepsi, which also come in plastic and glass. (livemint.com) The shortage has been reported in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune and parts of Delhi-National Capital Region since mid-April, with retailers telling local outlets that fresh stock sells out as soon as it lands. Business Standard and Moneycontrol both said the shortage had spread from store shelves to quick-commerce listings. (business-standard.com) The squeeze is landing in peak summer, when cold-drink demand jumps and canned beverages compete for the same packaging. The Economic Times said the can crunch is also affecting beer and other ready-to-drink products, not just Diet Coke. (economictimes.indiatimes.com) The immediate bottleneck is aluminium packaging, not the cola syrup itself. Reuters said the Gulf accounts for about 9% of global aluminium production, and delays through the Strait of Hormuz have held up can supplies into India since last month. (indianexpress.com) India’s packaging rules have added pressure to that supply chain. Industry reports said a Bureau of Indian Standards quality-control regime for beverage cans tightened sourcing and certification requirements, narrowing the pool of import-ready cans even before this month’s shipping disruption. (asiabrewersnetwork.com) That helps explain why this shortage is so visible online. A product sold almost entirely in one package format is easier to knock out of stock than brands that can switch shoppers to a plastic bottle or returnable glass. (livemint.com) Retailers and consumers have turned the shortage into a small internet event. Hindustan Times, Moneycontrol and Reuters-linked reports all described panic buying, memes and shoppers posting screenshots of empty app listings as the silver cans disappeared. (moneycontrol.com) Companies are trying to plug the gap with imports from the United Arab Emirates, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, but those cans are costlier and slower to secure. Goodreturns, citing industry executives, said imported cans are running about 25% to 30% more expensive. (goodreturns.in) For now, the shortage looks less like a recipe problem than a metal-container problem. Until can supplies normalize, Diet Coke’s India business is exposed in a way rival colas in bottles are not. (theindependent.com)