Insiders from the beverage industry have boldly predicted the return of AC Diet Cola to fill a potential gap in the market if Diet Coke supply is indeed impacted by coronavirus. While Kmart-exclusive line of soft drinks has not been seen for a while, one industry expert claims that Australia’s Choice could possibly step into the void of sugar-free cola drinks.

The anonymous source said, “AC stood for ‘Australia’s Choice’, so I can only assume they sourced all their ingredients locally. That should mean their supply chain would not be impacted by the outbreak of coronavirus in China. So, in theory, they could return to the market and save the day.”

Meanwhile, local diet cola enthusiast Linda Tranter said that she’d be willing to drink AC Diet Cola “for a bit” of her worst fears were realised, and Diet Coke became temporarily unavailable. She said, “Look, if I absolutely had to, I would. I used to drink it heaps as a teenager. What can I say, the price was right. I feel my palette has matured somewhat since those days, but desperate times call for desperate measures.”

Tranter believes that the main difference between the two beverages is the all-important after taste. She said, “On first sip, they both taste quite similar, but within a split second the AC Diet Cola smacks you with a tangy kind of after taste. It’s a bit nasty from memory but, who knows, maybe the hint of nostalgia in it will win me over?”

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