Colas have pesticides: JPC

The joint parliamentary committee has upheld the findings of the Centre for Science and Environment that 12 soft-drink brands, including Pepsi and Coke contained traces of pesticides.

Too many cooks • Multiplicity of laws in the food sector causes utter confusion. Who do you blame if your food or drink is unsafe? Nine ministries deal with food laws: • Health and Family Welfare, Agriculture, Food and Consumer Affairs, Commerce, Food Processing Industries, Rural Development, Forests and Environment, Science and Technology, HRD

This is likely to can the fizz in the softdrinks business. The joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on Wednesday upheld the findings of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) that 12 soft-drink brands, including Pepsi and Coke, it analysed contained traces of pesticides.

The committee, headed by Sharad Pawar, noted: “We appreciate the whistle blowing act of the CSE in alerting the nation to an issue with major implications for food safety, policy formulation, regulatory framework and human and environmental health.”

The report said government food testing labs in Kolkata and Mysore “detected the presence of organochlorine and organophosphorous pesticide residues”.

CSE director Sunita Narain said the JPC report underlined the need to have a strong regulatory mechanism. “The world’s biggest companies will take advantage and hide behind weak laws if the regulatory mechanisms are not strengthened,” she said.

Coca-Cola (India) president Sanjeev Gupta said, “Our products manufactured in India are world class and safe. Our products already meet the science-based norms recommended by the JPC.”