Attention shifts to norms, protocols

NEW DELHI: With both Coke and Pepsi expressing their willingness to accept verifiable standards for pesticide residue in cola, the ball is now in the government’s court. In India, the pyrotechnics of bans and brand jacking have now started giving place to the more sober activity of identifying scientific norms and protocols.

The transition will be marked by some legal action as the cola companies take the government of Kerala to court against the ban on the sale of Coke and Pepsi in the state.

However, globally, the action could warm up for the cola giants as more countries could be inspired to follow the Indian lead and set up standards for the final product. The agreement to finished product standards is a move that could impact other markets of the two cola MNCs, said an executive from one of the cola companies.


The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) found various brands of the two cola majors, Coca-Cola India and PepsiCo India, guilty. The two companies in question seem to support regulations governing pesticide residue levels in the finished product — the colas.

Asserting the NGO was against state government-imposed bans on cola sales, and in case of Kerala, manufacturing too, CSE director Sunita Narain, in an interaction with ET on Friday said, “We are asking for regulations on these companies and credible processes so that these regulations are not compromised.”

Coca-Cola India, in its statement on Friday said, it “supports the government in adoption of clear criteria for pesticide residues in soft drinks based on scientifically validated testing methods.” PepsiCo India was not far behind. On Saturday, it issued a statement, saying it is ‘open to stricter regulations in the interest of consumer safety.’

The two companies had earlier said the pesticide residue levels in the finished product cola are difficult to be measured. A claim which Ms Narain rebutted with the contention that these companies had quoted test findings of certain renowned labs in their defence which showed that tests on finished products could certainly be performed.

World-wide, there are standards for cola inputs but none for the finished product. There are no validated testing protocols for the finished product, one reason why tests conducted by various labs show different results, claim cola companies.

That the testing methods being developed should be validated is the two companies’ demand. PepsiCo India’s statement said that it was already working with the Indian government on developing standards and was even ready to work with CSE on the same, “provided there is an accurate, validated and agreed upon detection method to verify compliance.”

“I agree that standards can’t be enforced unless validated. And validation will happen once the Bureau of Indian Standards notifies standards for colas and invites test methodologies from different agencies and decides on the enforcement mechanism,” said Ms Narain.

The convergence of views on regulations is welcome, considering the real issue of high pesticide residue levels in food and beverages in the country stood the danger of being lost in the hype and hoopla, with state governments not helping the cause by imposing partial and complete bans on colas.