Pepsi, Coke deny CSE's pesticide charges

The soft drink industry has worked with the Health Ministry, scientific community and NGOs to establish stringent science-based norms.

Soft drink makers Pepsi and Coca Cola on Wednesday denied that their products contained pesticides and claimed that they complied with stringent international norms and all applicable national regulations.

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The arch rivals, who came together under the banner Indian Soft Drinks Manufacturers Association (ISDMA), said: "Consumer safety is paramount to us. The soft drinks manufactured in India comply with stringent international norms and all applicable national regulations."

ISDMA said over the past three years, the soft drink industry has worked with the Health Ministry, scientific community and NGOs to establish stringent science-based norms.

"The efforts of the Government have led to establishment of stricter norms that are at par with the best in the world. The Government is also in the process of developing validated testing protocols and all members of ISDMA are fully aligned and cooperating in the process," it said.

Their denial comes in the wake of NGO Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) alleging that their drinks contained a 'cocktail' of pesticides above the permissible levels.

Tests conducted on 57 samples from 25 manufacturing plants of Coke and Pepsi, spread over 12 states, revealed a cocktail of 3-6 different pesticides in all samples, a CSE study said.

It claimed that 11 leading soft drink brands have pesticide residue, some of which had pesticide levels 24 times higher than what is approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

This is the second time in the last three years that CSE has levelled charges against the Cola majors for not complying with safety standards.