A woman thinks the Diet Pepsi cans she purchased from Costco seem lighter than usual, so she opens two and empties them into a measuring cup. Here’s what she found.
TikTok creator Brianne (@brianne.jordan) posted a video of her experiment. There are two unopened cans of Diet Pepsi and a glass measuring cup on the counter in front of her.
“These feel super empty,” she says. “So we are going to figure out how many ounces are in here.”
How Many Ounces Are in These 12-Ounce Diet Pepsi Cans?
Brianne’s assistant opens one of the cans and pours it into the measuring cup as she films. The liquid reaches about an ounce past the 4 ounce line.
“So like five or six?” Brianne estimates. “It should be up to here.”
She gestures to the 12-ounce line. After pouring the second can into the measuring cup, Brianne shows viewers that the line is now directly in between the 8- and 12-ounce markings.
“So 24 ounces of soda is more like 10 ounces,” Brianne says. “Nice.”
Is This Proof of Shrinkflation or a Factory Error?
In the comments section of the video, plenty of viewers appeared ready to hop on the bandwagon and condemn Pepsi for participating in “shrinkflation.” That is a term that refers to companies using smaller packaging or less product but keeping prices the same.
Others, however, pointed out the lack of fizz that should’ve accompanied this experiment.
“It’s been open or leaked, because there are zero carbonation bubbles,” one person wrote.
“Where is the carbonation that should be filling up the measuring up?” a second person asked.
A third person suggested, “Take the case back to Costco.”
Has Pepsi Ever Participated in Shrinkflation?
This does appear to be a manufacturing error, as Brianne acknowledged in a caption update.
“Still, do better with your quality control, Pepsi,” she wrote.
Although this doesn’t appear to be a case of shrinkflation, Pepsi was accused of using the tactic in 2024. In that instance, as reported by USA Today, United States Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and U.S. Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) sent a letter to the CEOs of Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and General Mills warning them against using “shrinkflation” to profit off of consumers.
PepsiCo was specifically called out for Gatorade and its chip brands. The company said it would make changes after the backlash.
@brianne.jordan UPDATE: I think comments are right that it was a manufacturing error and they forgot to put the soda in and this was just syrup (we did NOT tamper with these cans in any way 🙄) STILL. do better with your quality control, Pepsi. uhhhh @Pepsi … what the hell is this?? @Costco Wholesale ♬ original sound – briannnnne📚💙
What Happens When a Soda Goes Flat?
Essentially, a canned soda starts with a can of syrup that is then injected with carbon dioxide gas and sealed. That gas is what creates the foam that comes out when you crack open a Pepsi or another soda. So it’s plausible that the two cans from Brianne’s video skipped that process somehow or were otherwise damaged in the manufacturing process.
Subplot contacted Brianne via TikTok comment and direct message for comment. We contacted PepsiCo via email and Costco via online contact form for comment.
