Pesticide level below EU criteria, says Coca Cola

Breaking its silence over the simmering issue of pesticide residues in soft drinks, Coca Cola today dismissed the Centre of Science and Environment's findings and furnished the report of the Central Science Laboratories (CSL), an independent laboratory in the UK, to establish that its soft drinks met the European Union's criteria for pesticide residues in bottled water.

The company said it regularly had its soft drinks tested at CSL.

"All tests show that our soft drinks are below the EU criteria for pesticide residues in bottled water," said a company release.

In response, a release by CSE said soft drink companies had issued statements even three years ago that they were meeting strict European standards.

"But tests by several other labs had found that they did contain high levels of pesticide residues and were not meeting the norms as they claimed," said the non-government organisation.

Coca Cola said it would welcome a move by the government to adopt clear criteria for pesticide residues in soft drinks if they were based on scientifically validated testing methods.

"We are already working with relevant government bodies in India to develop and finalise the criteria along with their associated testing protocols for pesticide residues in soft drinks," said the Coke release.

CSE Director Sunita Narain said, "Our demand to the government is: notify the finalised standards of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) for carbonated beverages and make the regulation for this product mandatory."