“I could survive the LPG shortage but this? This is cause for global panic,” reads a cheeky Instagram comment that has garnered around 6.7K likes and some 500-plus comments voicing a similar sentiment. The precious thing in question is…a crispy can of Diet Coke. For normies, the drink is far from being a basic necessity, but for subscribers to the fandom every sip is life-changing.
After all, Diet Coke doesn’t hold the trophy title of ‘fridge cigarette’ without reason. Even the celeb fans span high and low, Kate Moss and Dua Lipa on one end and Donald Trump on the other. Even as flip phones and low-rise jeans crawl back from the 2000s, the silver can leads the charge for nostalgic comebacks. It’s probably the only supremacy that Gen Z and millennials agree on. You could go as far as to say that nobody brings the country together like Shah Rukh Khan, Virat Kohli, and Diet Coke, and almost nobody will contest it.
So, you can imagine the absolute carnage that broke out when news of a shortage began spreading a few weeks ago. The whispers started in Bengaluru and, as expected, the first signs appeared on Reddit.
After failing to find stock in grocery stores, an underage Diet Coke obsessive snuck into a bar hoping to find a can, with no luck. Then the Reddit warriors united to fix him with a score. Soon after, fans across Mumbai, Gurugram, and Goa began witnessing a similar drought on quick-comm apps, grocery stores, and even liquor shops.
Social media is now flooded with meltdowns and pleas for a restock. It’s only a matter of time before a black market with inflated prices and innovative dupes crops up, you know, like the Labubu-Lafufu scandal of 2025. Conspiracy theories decoding the shortage are also running wild on the internet. From a lack of aluminium and a potential food safety violation to the mixing liquid shipment being stuck in the Strait of Hormuz, fans are letting their imagination soothe their worry.
First the grand KitKat larceny, now a Diet Coke shortage. Public morale is dropping. The withdrawals are very real. And in our effort to do damage control, we checked in with seven die-hard fans to find out how they are coping. Maybe you can borrow the map to survive from them?
Kaavyya Kesarwani, 27, marketing manager, Mumbai
Unhinged Diet Coke moment: I always have at least two Diet Coke cans in my fridge at all times. I often add them to random Zepto orders—just to be safe, you know—because I need them around for emotional security.
Proof of fandom: I order so many Diet Cokes to the house in a week that on my birthday my flatmate gifted me a custom diary made of Diet Coke paper.
Survival strategy: With the shortage, I ordered three large Coke Zero bottles but I immediately realised it doesn’t have the crispness or the feel of the can. Honestly, the next day I just got drunk on wine.
Ishaan Gupta, 21, coding intern, Gurugram
Unhinged Diet Coke moment: I used to live in a hostel. One night, after curfew, I had this uncontrollable craving for Diet Coke. I actually strategised how to break out of the building and made a pros-and-cons list of how bad it could be.
Proof of fandom: People around me are actively searching on all quick-commerce apps. My sister is a graphic designer and is one step away from making posters and pasting them around our apartment because they’re scared I’m going to lose my mind.
Survival strategy: There is no coping mechanism. I’m not coping. The heat isn’t helping either. It’s what they say: “God tests his strongest soldiers.” I’m not strong, make it stop.
Titikshya Rath, 25, copywriter, Bengaluru
Unhinged Diet Coke moment: Recently I called my boyfriend and started crying because I couldn’t find Diet Coke anywhere. It was just the last nail in the coffin. He was so confused.
Proof of fandom: My dependency is getting a bit too serious. It’s less about just the drink and more about the ritual—it’s that one consistent, reliable part of my day that I look forward to. I once went to Coorg on a vacation and couldn’t find Diet Coke for days, and then randomly found it at a monastery and my friends and I basically bought out their entire stock.
Survival strategy: The shortage has turned me into someone who is constantly “just checking” if it’s back, which is not ideal. On quick-commerce apps it randomly shows up sometimes, and the second it does I order in bulk. Whatever the limit is, I’m taking it.
Ntasha Bhardwaj, 38, criminologist, Goa
Unhinged Diet Coke moment: Recently I found a sole can in a super-small liquor shop. The lady running the store had a good laugh seeing how happy I got after seeing that one can. It’s going to feel super special when I get my hands on a couple more.
Proof of fandom: We have basically looked everywhere—the smaller shops, the bigger grocery stores, Blinkit... We even tried Instamart, which we barely use. Then we tried alcohol stores, which are in abundance in Goa.
Survival strategy: There are no alternatives. Coke Zero is not the same and doesn’t come close. India needs to learn from Thailand and make more sugar-free drinks that hit the spot. Until then, I will sadly have to lean on fresh lime soda.
Zeishah Amlani, 33, TV anchor, Bengaluru
Unhinged Diet Coke moment: My partner offered to sneak some cans from Hyderabad and my brother went looking in local kirana stores. My loved ones really came through to indulge my crazy and find me stock.
Proof of fandom: I’m not a crazy fan; I’d rate myself 7 on 10. But I do have one can a day, five days a week.
Survival strategy: To people saying “Oh, just get Coke Zero”, respectfully, STFU. It’s not the same. Weirdly, I’ve been drinking iced coconut water to cope and there's a cola kombucha that's pretty good, but even on sale it’s double the cost of Diet Coke.
Joel Matthew, 29, artist, Goa
Unhinged Diet Coke moment: Last year, my fiancé had a tower made of Diet Coke cans for my birthday instead of a classic cake. Best birthday ever.
Proof of fandom: You know how Spotify tells you what percentage of fans you make it to for an artist? Yeah, if that existed for Diet Coke I would be in the top 0.1 per cent.
Survival strategy: I’m trying to see this as a sign that I should be more creative. I have been trying to invent my own cocktails, which have kept me drunk enough to not obsess over the shortage.
Suniti Rao, 32, quantitative analyst, Mumbai
Unhinged Diet Coke moment: My boyfriend and I got into a huge fight, and before he said sorry he left a chilled can of Diet Coke on my bedside table. Because truly, any apology is better that way.
Proof of fandom: I feel like I have dealers now because I’ve added so many kirana shop contacts recently. They are all supposed to call the minute stock comes in.
Survival strategy: I don’t want to get cancelled by my own people, but for now Coke Zero is cutting it. The bottle is not nearly as sexy as the can, but it does the job.
