Diet Coke shortage due to Iran war kicks off unlikely trend
Jen Thomas
Featured Image Credit: Cindy Ord/Getty Images for NYCWFF
If cracking open a can (or two, or three, no judgement here) of Diet Coke is a ritual for you - then we have some bad news as many places are experiencing a shortage due to the Iran war.
A new trend has emerged thanks to Diet Coke fanatics in India reacting to the news of a potential shortage.
In India, Diet Coke is only available in cans and has to be imported.
They are currently experiencing supply chain disruptions due to the ongoing war, and shipments of the ever-popular beverage have got stuck in the Strait of Hormuz, at the heart of the row over who has control of it.
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Supplies are running low in India, with desperate fans trying to stock up online, with scarcity driving demand.
Often lovingly referred to as a 'fridge cigarette' by Gen Z, the drink has risen to fame once more due to the shortage.
Influencers in India and some pubs and businesses have clocked on to the demand, and are now hosting 'Diet Coke parties'.
Entrance to these events dedicated to the fizzy drink will set you back anywhere between $10 to $16.
Fans are served Diet Coke while listening to music, and taking part in themed events such as decorating cans and T-shirt painting,
One party saw them mixing it with local spices, jalapenos and honey.
Another event in Mumbai even held a raffle, with the lucky winners taking home a crate each of 50 cans of the good stuff.
According to Reuters, one such party was thrown by a 25-year-old marketing executive called Ishika Gupta who is a self-declared 'big diet coke fan'.
"We had a cocktail menu which we call Coke-tails. The idea was to bring fans together," she said, and said that Coca Cola had reached out about future events.
One restaurant owner is throwing a party serving 'Diet Coke on the house' ad well as snacks for $16.
The CEO, Chaitanya Mathur , said they had 500 cans in stock: "For the young people it's about scarcity being a premise of the entire event. That's where the fun is - the less there is of something is when they want more of it."
Other chains are joining in, branding it 'the great Diet Coke shortage of 2026' in what some are calling the 'love letter to the cult of Diet Coke'.
There are also fears over a shortage of aluminium imports.
Nadine Bloxsome, CEO of the UK’s Aluminium Federation told The Independent that we’re not 'currently seeing evidence of an imminent aluminium shortage' in the UK, so we don't need to worry just yet, as we can also get Diet Coke in plastic bottles.
Around seven million metric tonnes of aluminium are produced in the Middle East every year.
That works out to be nine per cent of the world’s production capacity.
If shortages continue, the price of a can may also go up, warns Bloxsome: “If elevated prices persist for a prolonged period, some additional costs will inevitably filter down to manufacturers and consumers.
"We are entering the great diet coke depression" wrote one alarmed fan.
Another tagged the US Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, and pleaded: "Pete, babe, I’m gonna need you to wrap this up," asking him to bring the war to an end so as not to disrupt their drink supply.
President Donald Trump is known for being a huge fan of the beverage, so one critic joked: "Best way to get this stupid war ended. Cut off his supply of diet coke!"
Another added: "Uh oh, my mom is gonna go there to sort this out herself, she loves diet coke!"