Diet Coke is the latest staple to be double-teamed by the supply chain crushers – Covid and Brexit.
The issue has affected supermarkets, restaurants, pubs, and other retailers that stock fizzy drinks.
The global manufacturer said it was facing a shortage of ‘aluminium cans’ due to a lack of lorry drivers, rather than Diet Coke itself. The admission fizzed to the surface after social media was abuzz with chatter about Diet Coke shortages across the UK.
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) said the drink will be missing from some supermarket shelves due to a shortage of HGV drives in the UK, as well as problems sourcing the aluminium cans. CCEP went on to say it was faced with a series of “logistical difficulties” but insisted that it has continued to deliver high service levels while its supply chain works “flat out” to rectify the shortage.
Nik Jhangiani, chief financial officer of CCEP said: “Supply chain management has become the most important aspect following the pandemic, to ensure we have continuity for customers.
“We are very happy with how we have performed in the circumstances, with service levels higher than a lot of our market competitors.
“There are still logistical challenges and issues though, as with every sector, and the shortage of aluminium cans is a key one for us now, but we are working with customers to successfully manage this.”
On Wednesday, Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin admitted they were running low on popular beers like Carling.
It appears that #Brexit is screwing over Wetherspoons an' all.
🍿🍿🍿 pic.twitter.com/roGu5gJP7B
— Graham David Hughes (@EveryCountry) August 31, 2021
Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon told indy100: “We are experiencing some supply problems with both Carling and Coors, which means that some pubs do not have the products available.
“We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused. We know that the brewers are trying to resolve the issue.”
Nando’s earlier suffered chicken shortages; McDonald’s ran out of milkshakes and fears were raised that there might be a Pigs In Blankets shortage at Christmas.
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