Almost echoing the results of analysis done by a Mysore institute, another government laboratory has said that most soft drink samples contained higher pesticides level than the European Union norms but well within the Indian safety standards.
Based on the analysis of the Kolkata-based Central Food Laboratory, released officially on Saturday, and the Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, the government had said in Parliament on August 21 that pesticide levels in the soft drinks were well within the Indian norms.
The report of the Kolkata-based Central Food Laboratory showed that nine out of 12 brands analysed by it failed to either conform to the EU pesticide limits of 0.0001 mg per litre individually or 0.0005 cumulatively.
The nine brands are Mountain Dew, Mirinda Orange, Mirinda Lemon, Coca-Cola, Fanta, Thums Up, Sprite, 7Up and Blue Pepsi. Of these, the last three brands conformed to the EU norms cumulatively but failed on limit for individual presence of pesticides in their samples.
The only three brands which conformed to the EU norms both individually and cumulatively were Limca, Pepsi and Diet Pepsi.
Officials of both Coca-Cola India and Pepsico India asserted that their products were totally safe and complied with the water standards of European Union while clarifying that there were no norms for soft drinks per se anywhere in the world.
"The government has already said that our drinks are safe for consumption on the basis of the reports released today and two days earlier," Sunil Gupta, vice president of Coca-Cola India told PTI.