'Cola wrangle may not hit FDI'

CII MARKETING SUMMIT 2006

Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath today said the controversy involving high pesticide content in samples of soft drinks manufactured by Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo is unlikely to affect foreign direct investment into India.

"Whenever such things happen, it affects the credibility of the country. However, it is not true in this case, but we have to be careful about it," Nath told reporters on the sidelines of a marketing summit.

He said all the findings must be factually correct. "Public health is the most important."

Earlier this month, independent think-tank Centre of Science and Environment claimed that 57 samples of different soft drink brands taken across 12 states contained a mixture of 3-5 pesticides, 24 times higher than the prescribed norms by Bureau of Indian Standards.