Carson Daly Went On A Quest For Fresca But Found Bitter News Instead

Carson Daly may not be quite what people tend to think of when conjuring the image of a hard-hitting news reporter – not that there's anything wrong with that. Nevertheless, the host of NBC's "The Voice" is hot on the trail of a news story, one that may affect anyone who appreciates a can of Fresca now and again and wants to know it'll be there when they reach for it. As fans of Fresca know by now, it's not guaranteed. For example, back in 2020, Fresca was in vexingly short supply because of various supply chain snafus, including a shortage of aluminum cans and a shortage of CO2.

If you didn't know it before, Daly is a longtime fan of the Coca-Cola company's grapefruity-citrus-flavored sugar-free carbonated beverage, as he makes clear in a lengthy and impassioned Instagram post from July 1. After pointing out that he has faithfully stood by Fresca for years, even as rumors of its demise, er, discontinuation, were greatly exaggerated, Daly goes on to recount the lengths he went: visiting four stores in an attempt to get his hands on some Fresca for his July Fourth holiday weekend.

Sadly, however, it was not to be. But that's not even close to the extent of what Daly uncovered. Thanks to his investigative diligence, we can now reveal to you the bitter news he reportedly received about the future of Fresca, at least in the near term.

Fresca fans have been on something of a rollercoaster ride since 2020. Although Coca-Cola thrilled fans in December 2020 with news that the Fresca shortage was finally over, what the beverage giant did not account for was the degree to which demand for Fresca had ratcheted up during its prolonged period of unavailability. "When did we become so hard to get?" the company said via the Fresca Twitter account in spring 2021 (via Twitter), when demand was clearly exceeding supply. "We're not used to being this popular ... we swear." 

Except for a reminder to "keep on sparkling," Fresca has gone largely quiet on Twitter. But we wonder how long that will last now that television host, Carson Daly, has once again brought up the specter of another Fresca shortage, via Instagram. Nor is Daly alone in his concerns about Fresca's whereabouts (via Twitter). But where Daly distinguishes himself is that he was not content to leave it at wondering. Ever resourceful, he reached out to a beverage industry contact. And what he learned stands to rock the Fresca fanbase to its core.

"Bad news CD," the contact replied back to Daly. "Just got off the phone with [Coca-Cola,] and no more Fresca until further notice." And so it would appear that another Fresca shortage is upon us, and no one can be sure when it might end. Stay tuned.