NEW DELHI, INDIA, August 3, 2006: The Center of Science and Environment on Wednesday claimed that 11 leading soft drink brands have pesticide residue. According to the CSE, soft drinks available in India have a cocktail of three to six pesticides. In a study of 57 random samples of 11 soft drink brands from 25 different manufacturing plants of Coke and Pepsi spread over 12 states, CSE claims to have found pesticides on an average 24 times higher that the Bureau of Indian Standards norms, which have been finalized but not notified. The levels that the CSE has found are even higher than what they found in 2003. The samples show a cocktail of 3-6 different pesticides and the presence of carcinogens and neurotoxins at levels much higher than BIS standards. After the Centre for Science and Environment released its findings on Wednesday on the high levels of pesticide residue in several soft drink brands in India, the issue was raised in the Lok Sabha. The BJP staged a walkout over the issue. In 2003, a Joint Parliamentary Committee cleared as authentic a report by the CSE on high levels of pesticide residue in soft drinks. The JPC had directed the Bureau of Indian standards to set standards on the issue.
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