Pepsi Offers to Work with CSE for Maintaining Stricter Standards

Soft drink firm Pepsi Co Saturday offered to work with the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) to "establish stricter science-based standards" following charges of pesticide content in its products.

A CSE report Aug 2 said that 11 soft drink brands of Pepsi and Coca Cola contained high residues of immune suppressive pesticides.

"Pepsi products are safe and comply with the most stringent Indian and international regulations, including the new regulations for carbonated soft drinks notified by the Indian health ministry on July 15, 2004," said a company statement.

"While we are already working with the government, we are open to also working with the CSE and any other interested party to establish stricter science-based standards on finished products," the statement added.

Three years after it shocked the nation with a report showing exceedingly large amounts of pesticide contents in leading soft drink brands, last month's CSE report said that the harmful content has only gone up since.

The study also found that all the 11 brands of the Coke and Pepsi family had, on an average, 24 times more pesticide residues than that found in 2003.

(Source: IANS)