Coca-Cola gets clean chit from independent lab

With the cola ban being the topic of discussion in Kerala and other parts of the globe, the Coca-Cola company has announced results of independent laboratory tests 'confirming' that the company's soft drinks in India meet the stringent purity criteria set by the European Union for pesticides in bottled water.
 
A statement issued to the media quoting Rick Frazier, vice-president of technical stewardship of the Atlanta-based Coca-Cola company, said "there is no issue with the quality and purity of Coca-Cola products".

Samples of Coca-Cola, Thums-Up, Sprite, Fanta and Limca have been tested by the Central Science Laboratories (CSL), in the UK. CSL's test results confirm that there are no safety problems with pesticide residues in the soft drinks made by the Coca-Cola company in India. Results from the 2006 tests showed less than 0.1 part per billion of any pesticide.

Testing is ongoing with additional results expected this coming week, the statement added.

 "For the past two years, the company has been monitoring the purity of our beverages in India using the EU criteria. We are, therefore, very comfortable supporting the Indian government's intention to establish criteria for pesticide residues in soft drinks, based on scientifically validated testing methods," it said.