India says Cola pesticide charges not proven

INDIA: India’s health minister said on Tuesday an environmental group that said soft drinks produced by Coca-Cola and PepsiCo contain high levels of pesticides had failed to prove its claims. But the group, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) rejected Anbumani Ramadoss’s statement and accused him of pandering to big multinationals at the expense of public health.

The CSE said in its report, published nearly three weeks ago, that it had found traces of pesticides far above permissible levels in the products of the two global giants.

The report by the New Delhi-based group triggered a ban on the sale of beverages made by the two firms in several Indian states at or near state-run schools, colleges and hospitals. The southern state of Kerala declared a total ban on the drinks.

Both companies have defended the safety of their products.

Ramadoss said his ministry was seeking more details from the CSE after hearing the view of experts appointed by the government. “The conclusion of the expert committee is that the report of the CSE does not provide conclusive evidence for presence of different pesticides in the concentration reported,” Ramadoss told parliament in response to questions by lawmakers.

He said the expert panel had found several inconsistencies in the chemical information presented by the CSE.

Ramadoss said the ministry had directed state-run labs across the country to conduct their own tests on samples of soft drinks and results received so far had either found no pesticide traces or their levels were below statutory limits.

The CSE study said it had found an average pesticide residue of 11.85 parts per billion in 57 samples of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo drinks produced in 12 Indian states.

Those pesticide levels are 24 times higher than limits agreed, but not yet enforced, by the Bureau of Indian Standards.

New Delhi, Wednesday, Reuters.