Taking a cue from the Centre and Maharashtra, four more states -- Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh -- as well as the Kolkata Municipal Corporation on Thursday said leading Coca-Cola and Pepsi brands would be tested for contaminants and, if found guilty, strictures would be imposed on the two companies.
Thus, the Gujarat government has asked the drug commissioner to test samples of aerated drinks from across the state. It has already collected samples from bottling plants in the three districts of Bharuch, Ahmedabad and Rajkot.
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"After getting the laboratory report on these samples, the Gujarat government will decide on actions to be taken," additional chief secretary, health and family welfare, Gujarat, S K Nanda, said.
The Andhra Pradesh government also said it would undertake random testing of samples from across the state to ascertain the quality of the aerated beverages, which, the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment has alleged, contain pesticides beyond permissible limits.
The state's medical and health minister, K Sivaprasada Rao, however, said: "The sales will not be banned till we establish the case. We cannot punish anybody unless we establish the truth."
The Maharashtra government said if the samples of Coca-Cola, Pepsi and other aerated drinks were found to contain hazardous substances, the licences of the bottling plants at Thane, Raigad, Pune, Nashik and Aurangabad would be cancelled. The results of the laboratory tests would be received within a fortnight.
Kerala health minister P Sankaran said production and distribution of Coca-Cola would be stopped if the samples of the soft drink produced at its Plachimada plant in the Palakkad district were found to contain hazardous substances.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation member, mayor-in-council (health), Pradip Ghosh also threatened to cancel the trade licence of the local bottling plant of the soft drink majors by saying: "If pesticides are found in the samples of Coca-Cola, we will not hesitate to cancel the trade licence of the bottling plant in the industrial hub of Taratola."
War of words intensifies
The Centre for Science and Environment on Thursday said it was contemplating legal action against Pepsi and Coca-Cola for attacking its credibility without coming out with data to prove that their soft drink brands did not contain pesticides. The cola majors, however, said there was no duality of standards.