High levels of pesticides found in Indian Coca Cola and Pepsi products

[Urban Ranger]

CALCUTTA, India, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Controversy is nothing new to the Indian operations of Coca Cola and Pepsi. But it reached a high point on Tuesday when a Delhi-based privately owned environment monitoring organization, the Center for Science and Environment charged the two cola giants with selling soft drinks containing traces of four extremely toxic pesticides and insecticides -- lindane, DDT, malathion and chlorpyrifos.

"Twelve major cold drink brands manufactured by Coca-Cola and Pepsi and sold in and around Delhi contain a deadly cocktail of pesticide residues," she Sunita Narain, director of the CSE at high profile press conference. "These pesticides include potent chemicals which can cause cancers, damage the nervous and reproductive systems and reduce bone mineral density."

The CSE also said that in all the samples, the levels of pesticide residues far exceeded the maximum residue limit for pesticides in water used as "food", set down by the European Economic Commission. In Pepsi brands, the total pesticides on an average were 36 times higher than the EEC limits. The Coca-Cola brands contained levels 30 times higher.

Source: UPI

CSE press release

This is extremely disturbing. What do you think?

[DAVOUT]

Pleased to see that the European culture of pesticides is spreading as far as the American culture of cola.

[JohnT]

I pretty much agree with the points in the press release, especially the following sentiment:

Finally, a larger issue. Coke and Pepsi are not extra-constitutional authorities in this country. They cannot determine the regulations they will follow. The people of India must demand adequate regulations, which guarantees their safety. CSE, therefore, hope that this debate will now move the government to enact tight regulations for this industry – however powerful -- as fast as possible.

[CerberusIV]

It gets better. A new report alleges toxic levels of cadmium in sludge from one of the plants.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3133259.stm

[Sava]

Is this just Indian Coke and Pepsi, or all Coke and Pepsi? Maybe I should buy RC just in case.

[JohnT]

It deals with the conditions in Indian bottling plants, so it is an Indian issue.

[Sava]

ty johnny! phew!

[Arrian]

The Indian government needs to light a major fire under their asses.

Just like the US had to do in the 70s, 80s and 90s - new regulations, and an agency empowered to ram them down corporation's throats (though I'm sure they could improve upon our methods).

-Arrian

[Urban Ranger]

First the unbelivable Union Carbide accident, now this. Is India just a great big toxic waste dump?

[Sarxis]

I can't understand what the hell sugar-water (Pepsi) has to do with these pesticides, and why they would be near the production of it.

[JohnT]

It's the water supply. The ingredients are shipped in from Atlanta (or wherever) and mixed using the local water supply.

[Sarxis]

So its in their drinking water anyway? Sounds like a local problem, one I'm sure Pepsi co. would be willing to help out with.

[Dis]

Coca Cola suppsedly has that secret recipe. Which I do like- it tastes much better than Pepsi.

But when I drank Coke in other countries it always tasted different. I don't think they use the same exact recipe. But I've only had coke from Greece and Saudi Arabia. Our carrier picked them up while at port (actually anchored out), and we stocked our soda machines with them.

[Nubclear]

Limca and Thumbs Up are great.

Coke and Pepsi aren't.

[The Mad Monk]

What the hell is cadmium doing in a bottling plant?