Indian court orders soft drinks disclosure

[Guest guest]

Indian court orders soft drinks disclosure

 

New Delhi

August 6, 2006

 

Protestors break bottles of Coca-Cola calling for the ban of all

soft drink companies after an environmental group claimed soft

drinks in India still contained traces of pesticide.

Photo: Reuters

India's top court has asked the local subsidiaries of Coca-Cola and

PepsiCo to disclose the ingredients in the soft drinks they sell,

amid allegations that they contain high levels of pesticide.

The Supreme Court notice yesterday came after a New Delhi-based

independent research body said it found pesticide residue in samples

of Coke and Pepsi that was 24 times above the limits set by the

Bureau of Indian Standards.

The Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi said it carried

out tests on 57 samples taken from 11 soft drink brands made by Coca-

Cola India and PepsiCo India.

The centre said it found a " cocktail of three to five different

pesticides " , all apparently present in groundwater used to make the

drinks.

Offices of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo were shut during the weekend and

none of their officials could be reached for comment.

Earlier this week, both companies denied the charges, saying the

soft drinks they manufacture and sell in India " comply with

stringent international norms and all applicable national

regulations " .

But a petition filed in the Supreme Court yesterday said that the

drinks " contained highly toxic, acidic and addictive ingredients

dangerous for human consumption " , and that the consumer had a right

to know about the contents, The Hindu newspaper reported.

The toxins found in the soft drinks could, if consumed over a long

period, cause cancer, birth defects and damage to the nervous

system, the Centre for Science and Environment said in a report

released earlier this week.

The centre said nothing had changed since it first brought

allegations against Coke and Pepsi in 2004 that the pesticide

residue in their soft drinks made in India was 30 to 36 times higher

than European Union standards.

At the time, the Supreme Court asked the federal government to

introduce strict guidelines to regulate the manufacture of soft

drinks.

Yesterday, Health Minister A. Ramadoss said he would make a

statement on the issue in Parliament next week.

AP