Diet Coke has become an unexpected casualty of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, with a global squeeze in aluminium supplies causing shortages in India, where the drink is sold only in cans.
Retailers and consumers in major Indian cities including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune, Ahmedabad, and Gurugram have reported empty shelves and patchy availability on delivery platforms. One grocery retailer in the national capital region told the Economic Times: 'We are facing acute Diet Coke stock-outs since the weekend; if supplies do come, they are being immediately picked by consumers.'
A leading bottling partner explained that while can shortages affect all soft drinks, Diet Coke is particularly hit because it is the fastest growing diet drink in the country by a significant margin. The supply strain is also attributed to shipping bottlenecks and packaging-related adjustments under Indian compliance rules.
The Gulf region accounts for around 9 per cent of global aluminium production, and a de facto Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz since late February has trapped supplies. Iranian airstrikes on major Middle Eastern producers in late March further disrupted output, sending aluminium prices to a four-year high of $3,672 per tonne on the London Metal Exchange. Aluminium Bahrain and Emirates Global Aluminium both reported damage to their facilities.
Social media users have reacted with humour and frustration. Actor Yajat Dhingra pleaded: 'Please don’t leave Diet Coke lovers alone during these hard times of shortage.' A Delhi-based content creator posted a video mocking Mumbai residents over the shortage, while another shared a video of himself rejecting alternatives to Diet Coke, saying: 'When will this shortage end? Not able to gulp down the food.'
