Under attack, cola majors get cracking

As the Kerala Government notified its ban on manufacture and sale of its products, Pepsi India is planning to move the Kerala High Court against the decision. A company spokesperson said: ‘‘Once we receive it (the order), we will take legal recourse.’’

And, in a damage control exercise, Coca Cola today asserting that pesticide level in its products were well within stringent European Union standards. However, CSE (Centre for Science and Environment) stuck by its report and dared the cola majors to disclose the test results.

‘‘...No detectable level of pesticides in Indian soft drinks when measured against the EU criteria in independent lab study,’’ a Coca-Cola India statement said here today. The company’s statement follows action taken by a number of state governments, including Kerala, which had banned production and sale of colas in the state.

Coca Cola has asserted that its soft drinks have been regularly tested and evaluated by a world renowned UK Government Laboratory—Central Science Laboratories (CSL)— and conformed to the stringent standards. ‘‘All tests show that our soft drinks are below the EU criteria for pesticide residues in bottled water,’’ the cola giant said.

CSE refuted Coca Cola’s statement saying that the cola companies have repeatedly been telling the government ministries and committees that their products are a complex matrix and therefore cannot be tested. CSE also alleged that the cola majors had failed to disclose any test results to prove the safety of its products.

‘‘Our demand to the government is notify the finalised standards of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for carbonated beverages and make the regulation for this product mandatory,’’ CSE Director Sunita Narain said.

Meanwhile, Coca Cola India said it also supported a move by the government to adopt a clear criteria for pesticide residues in soft drinks, which are based on scientifically validated testing methods. ‘‘We are working with relevant government bodies in India to develop and finalise the criteria along with their associated testing protocols for pesticide residues in soft drinks,’’ it said.

Coke also said it was committed to provide the same quality standard for products in India as it was elsewhere in...