Where is my Diet Coke?
An aluminium can shortage and rising packaging costs have disrupted Diet Coke supplies in Indian metropolitan cities, including Mumbai and Bengaluru, leaving retailers struggling to meet surging consumer demand.
21 Apr 2026 | By Jiya Somaiya
The silver cans are increasingly absent from store shelves and quick-commerce platforms
Consumers in Indian metropolitan hubs are facing a shortage of Diet Coke, as a global squeeze on aluminium and local packaging bottlenecks impact the availability of the popular zero-calorie beverage.
Retailers and distributors across these cities are reporting erratic supply cycles, with the silver cans increasingly absent from store shelves and quick-commerce platforms.
The shortage can be attributed to a deficit in aluminium can manufacturing and surging material costs. Industry data for early 2026 indicates that India’s domestic aluminium can production capacity is currently operating approximately 20% below market demand. This gap has been exacerbated by the implementation of mandatory Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) certifications for imported cans, which initially slowed the arrival of offshore supply.
Furthermore, geopolitical tensions in West Asia have disrupted trade routes, driving aluminium prices to four-year highs and increasing freight and insurance costs for beverage giants like Coca-Cola.
While demand for zero-sugar beverages in India hit record highs in 2025 — now accounting for roughly 30% of Coca-Cola’s total volume — the infrastructure to package these products has struggled to keep pace.
Analysts note that beverage companies are being forced to prioritise packaging for high-volume legacy brands or newer innovations like Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, often leaving Diet Coke as a secondary priority in the allocation of limited aluminium stock.
In response to these soaring packaging costs, which have risen by as much as 70% for some materials, some bottlers have signalled potential price hikes or a temporary shift toward PET plastic bottles to maintain market presence.
The scarcity has triggered a wave of consumer frustration on social media, with loyalists in Indian metropolitan cities describing the absence of the drink as a disruption to their daily routines.
Although the government has recently extended timelines for packaging certifications to ease the supply-demand imbalance ahead of the summer season, industry experts warn that the interplay of high metal prices and logistics hurdles may keep Diet Coke supplies patchy through the second quarter of 2026.
For now, the silver can remains a rare find in the urban retail landscape.