Coca-Cola, Pepsi, RC facing sugar shortage

Beverage companies in the country are facing a shortage of premium refined sugar, a key ingredient in their products.

Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, ARC Refreshments Corporation (maker of RC Cola) and Pepsi Cola Products Philippines confirmed the shortage through a joint statement issued on Tuesday, Aug. 16.

“We are working closely with other stakeholders of the industry and the government to address the situation,” the three bottler firms said.

“We thank our customers and the public for their continued support to our products and for their understanding,” they added.

In a separate statement, the Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF) said that it has been informed that a number of bottling and fruit juice companies have cut down on the number of workers they hire because of inadequate sugar supply and the soaring prices of sugar in the country.

“They will be compelled to close down their operations soon if there will be no sugar available in the coming months. In fact, a number of these food processing companies had already decided to relocate their operations to neighboring countries because of the high cost of raw materials in the Philippines, particularly sugar which is a basic ingredient in food processing,” FEF said.