Pepsi plant shuts down in Venezuela as desperation grows over product shortages

Soft drinks could become the next product that disappears from shelves in hapless Venezuela as currency controls and economic mismanagement continue to generate shortages in the struggling South American nation. A Pepsi factory in the city of Valencia said it shut down operations this week because it’s not able to purchase bottle caps or parts for cans. Two other Pepsi bottling plants are also reportedly at risk of shuttering for similar reasons. Dozens of Pepsi workers, afraid of losing their jobs, picketed outside the factory on Wednesday. They said that Polar, a large bottling company that supplies Pepsi with materials, stopped sending bottle caps and supplies for cans over a week ago. More…