by greencrow0 » Sun Aug 06, 2006 12:31 am
from The Province at <br><br>canada.com<br><br><!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>India wants to know Coke, Pepsi ingredients </strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> <br><br>Article Tools<br> Printer friendly<br> E-mail<br> Font: * * * * Associated Press<br>Published: Saturday, August 05, 2006 <br>NEW DELHI -- India's top court has asked the local subsidiaries of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo to disclose the ingredients in the soft drinks they sell here, amid allegations that they contain high levels of pesticide.<br><br>The Supreme Court notice on Friday came days after a New Delhi-based independent research body said it found <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>pesticide residue in samples of Coke and Pepsi that was 24 times above the limits set by the Bureau of Indian Standards.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>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 <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>it found a "cocktail of three to five different pesticides," all apparently present in ground water used to make the drinks.</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--><br><br>Offices of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo were shut during the weekend and none of their officials could be reached for comment.<br><br>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."<br><br>But a petition filed in the Supreme Court on Friday said that the drinks "<!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>contained highly toxic, acidic and addictive ingredients dangerous for human consumption,</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END-->" and that the consumer had a right to know about the contents, The Hindu newspaper reported.<br>The toxins found in the soft drinks could, if consumed over a long period, cause <!--EZCODE BOLD START--><strong>cancer, birth defects and damage to the nervous system,</strong><!--EZCODE BOLD END--> the Centre for Science and Environment said in a report released earlier this week.<br><br>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 bring strict guidelines to regulate the manufacturing of such soft drinks.<br><br>On Friday, Health Minister A. Ramadoss said he would make a statement on the issue in Parliament next week."<br> <p></p><i></i>
