Court asks Indian government to test Pepsi samples
Monday, 11 August 2003, 19:30 IST
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NEW DELHI: A court here Monday directed the government to lift samples of soft drinks made by PepsiCo India Holdings and have them tested for pesticide residues in accredited laboratories. Justice B.D. Ahmed of the Delhi High Court asked the government to conduct the examination within three weeks and file a report with the court by September 22, the next date of hearing on the subject. The judge was hearing a petition by Pepsi urging that New Delhi be restrained from acting on a report from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a green NGO, alleging high toxin levels in its products as well as seeking an independent probe. The judge, however, went on to appreciate CSE's efforts to bring the issue to public notice. He directed Pepsi and CSE to supply scientific and technical data to the government to facilitate the examination of the samples. CSE director Sunita Narain - whose revelations last week stunned the nation -- welcomed the verdict, saying the group would be more than happy to collaborate. Judge Ahmed asked PepsiCo to file a reply to a show cause notice that the Canteen Stores Department of the defence ministry had issued to it on August 6 in the light of the CSE report, threatening to cancel purchases of soft drinks manufactured by the company. Appearing for Pepsi, former solicitor general Harish Salve said his client was ready to extend all help in having samples of its beverages tested by accredited laboratories run by the central government. The petitioner did not press for a stay on further dissemination of the CSE report. Salve also submitted that certain remarks made by his client about the CSE report were not meant to be pejorative. Additional Solicitor General K.K. Sud admitted that as of now there was no standard set by the government on how much pesticide residues were permissible in bottled water. As the soft drink manufacturers use treated water for their products, there was no standard for the presence of pesticide residues in soft drinks either, he added. Sud assured the court that the Central Committee for Food Standards, which is empowered to prescribe food standards, would take initiatives and set norms against the presence of pesticides in soft drinks. The CSE report had sparked protests against the beverage giants across India and led to a sharp decline in the sales of Pepsi and Coca-Cola.
Source: IANS
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