JPC told to set practical norms
The three chambers of commerce told the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) looking into pesticide residues in beverages that EU norms for these is not feasible. According to them, the country should be able to evolve its norms based on CODEX guidelines. While CSE had said that they were in favour of ‘‘most stringent standards’’, the industry reiterated that no country had standards for finished products and ‘‘realistic’’ and ‘‘practical’’ standards should be set. Assocham said consumption patterns and the country’s food basket were different, hence special standards should be evolved keeping in mind CODEX or WHO guidelines. These are less strict as compared to EU standards.

The Indian Express, New Delhi, Oct. 22,2003, Page 4

JPC team to visit cola unit in Kerala
The Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) team headed by Sharad Pawar, probing pesticides in soft drinks will visit the Coca Cola factory at Plachimada near Palghat in Kerala where residents have been protesting contamination of ground water after the plant was set up. Significantly, none of the cola companies have shown any interest in appearing before the panel. Pawar said the CFL and CFTRI tests did not reveal any pesticides in the samples. But the new samples, drawn from Hapur and Jaipur, had pesticides in them, he said.

The Hindustan Times, New Delhi,Oct. 22, 2003, Page 8

Pesticides to stay but better labs help: Scientist
The recent uproar over the contamination of bottled drinks has shown that there is an urgent need to improve testing facilities in the country, agricultural scientist Madhuban Gopal said. Gopal, a National Fellow at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, was speaking at a seminar, ‘‘Pesticide Residue in Food Commodities’’, organised by the Nutrition Foundation of India.

‘‘The recent debate over contamination of soft drinks has shown our infrastructural weaknesses and the inability to check contamination levels,’’ he said. Gopal explained the steps in pesticide residue studies and stressed that special emphasis be laid on the interpretation of results. ‘‘The Centre for Science and Environment showed great initiative in conducting the pesticide residue tests on soft drinks; such tests are needed. But I feel they slipped up on the interpretation of their data,’’ he said.

The Indian Express, New Delhi, Oct. 22, 2003, Page 4 supp

JPC on Cola issue: Industry reps oppose EU norms
At its next meeting this month-end, the Joint Parliamentary Committee, which is looking into the pesticide-contamination of groundwater, has asked Union Health Minister Sushma Swaraj to appear before the committee. Committee Chairman Sharad Pawar expressed confidence that their report will be made available by December 2003. As the JPC digs deeper into the Cola controversy, its investigation reveals interesting facets of scientific probity. The two Government laboratories told the Joint Parliamentary Committee, that before the NGO report, they had found no pesticides in routine checks of soft drinks

The Pioneer, New Delhi, Oct. 22, 2003, Page 5

Earlier CFL, CFTRI tests did not show residue in soft drinks
Tests conducted by Central Food Technological Research Institute and Central Food Laboratories did not show any presence of pesticide residue in samples of soft drinks prior to the presentation of the CSE report revealing its high presence, Joint Parliamentary Committee chairman Sharad Pawar said.

The chairman of the committee, probing pesticide residues in and safety standards for soft drinks, fruit juice and other beverages, told reporters that the committee had the option to call the CSE for any clarifications. He said the new sample tests by CFL and CFTRI revealed presence of pesticide residue soon after the CSE tests.

JPC to visit Coke's Kerala plant
Coca-cola’s recent commercials to allay consumer apprehensions on the presence of pesticides in soft drinks may have come too soon. Not only will the Joint Parliamentary Commission (JPC) on soft drinks and water-based beverages ``look into'' the Cola-company's recent advertisements, the JPC on Tuesday decided that its members would visit the Coca-Cola's Palchimada plant in Kerala to get a first-hand report on the sludge contamination controversy that had surfaced around the same time.

Business Line, New Delhi, Oct. 22, 2003, page 3

Cola Muddle
JPC Refuses To Be Swayed By Chambers Despite hectic lobbying by the CII, Ficci and Assocham on behalf of the soft drinks industry before the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) probing the pesticides issue in colas, scrutiny may further be tightened on the beverage giants Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. To begin with, JPC has decided to visit the Coca-Cola plant at Plachimada in Palakkad district of Kerala where there were allegations of toxic, cadmium-laden sludge being distributed to local farmers as manure.

The Financial Express – New Delhi – October 22, 2003

Industry may present views to JPC today
The industry perspective on the alleged pesticide presence in soft drinks and other food products is expected to be heard on Tuesday, when representatives from the three chambers of commerce depose before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) set up to look into the issue. Industry sources told FICCI, CII and Assocham would give the industry perspective on the issue. A top brass with one of the cola companies told this correspondent that individual companies are not expected to make a presentation, since they are members of different chambers. This is the third round of meetings of the JPC, set up in the wake of the controversy that broke when the New Delhi-based non-governmental organisation (NGO) Centre For Science and Environment (CSE) alleged that top soft drink brands belonging to the Coca-Cola and PepsiCo stables contained pesticide residues.

Business Line, New Delhi, Octpner 21, 2003, page 5

Charges false, Coke tells SEC
Even as a Parliamentary committee was still looking into the allegations made by a New Delhi-based NGO that samples of Coca-Cola’s soft drink brands in India were found to contain pesticides beyond permissible limits, the world’s largest soft-drinks maker today told the US regulator, the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), that the charges were false. The Delhi-based NGO Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) came out with its report in the beginning of the third quarter.

The controversial report claimed that top 12 soft drinks brands of PepsiCo and Coca-Cola it got tested contained pesticides in excess of the limits set by the European Commission.

Business Standard, New Delhi, October 17, 2003, Page 9

Coke admits pesticide drag on India Q3 performance
The shadow of the pesticide controversy in India seems to follow close on the heels of global soft drink major Coca Cola, with the company admitting today that the controversy has in fact been a drag on its financial performance in India for the third quarter (Q3). "In India, the beverage industry was impacted by false accusations that soft drinks contained high levels of pesticides. As a result, the company's unit case volume declined during the quarter, following several consecutive quarters of strong double digit-growth," the parent company said, announcing its Q3 results from Atlanta.

Business Line, New Delhi, October  17, 2003, Page 3

Safer alternatives to pesticide use
Pesticide poisoning has recently created a furore in the country after the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) reported that beverages contain pesticide residues exceeding safety standards. Lately a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) has been formed to inquire "whether or not the current CSE findings regarding pesticide correct" and "to suggest criteria for evolving safety standards for soft drinks and other beverages". Apparently pesticides have reached the ground water sources, adversely affecting water quality.