Venezuela Sugar Shortage Leads To Coca-Cola (KO) Production Halt

The Venezuelan bottler of Coca-Cola has halted production of the sugar-sweetened beverage due to a lack of the ingredient, a Coca-Cola Co. spokeswoman said Monday.

Venezuela is in the midst of a deep recession, and spontaneous demonstrations and looting have become more common amid worsening food shortages, frequent power cuts and the world's highest inflation.

Production of sugar-sweetened drinks has stopped, but output of diet drinks such as Diet Coke and other zero-sugar beverages continues, spokeswoman Kerry Tressler wrote by email.