Nooyi admits to mistakes in handling pesticide row
Pepsico chief Indra Nooyi has blamed herself for not handling the pesticides-in-cola controversy properly, saying she should have been in India to propagate the safety of the company’s soft drinks.
By PTI |
NEW DELHI: Pepsico chief Indra Nooyi has blamed herself for not handling the pesticides-in-cola controversy properly, saying she should have been in India to propagate the safety of the company’s soft drinks.
“One thing I should have done was to appear in India three years ago and say: ‘Cut it out. These products are the safest in the world, bar none, and your tests are wrong,’” Ms Nooyi told US-based magazine Business Week in an interview.
Talking about the controversy emanating from centre for science and environment’s report alleging pesticide residues in soft drinks, the India-born CEO admitted the company’s marketing strategy also made the matter worse. “Combine the public seeing the mercenary side of us, along with the fact that this was an American company,” Ms Nooyi, who was then the chief financial officer of PepsiCo, said.
In December 2002, the Supreme Court had pulled up PepsiCo for damaging environment by painting advertisement on rocks in Himalayan mountains. This was followed by allegations of depleting ground water by its various bottling units.
She, however, added the public didn’t see “the other things we were doing” and implied the company was a victim of its own image.
“One thing I should have done was to appear in India three years ago and say: ‘Cut it out. These products are the safest in the world, bar none, and your tests are wrong,’” Ms Nooyi told US-based magazine Business Week in an interview.
Talking about the controversy emanating from centre for science and environment’s report alleging pesticide residues in soft drinks, the India-born CEO admitted the company’s marketing strategy also made the matter worse. “Combine the public seeing the mercenary side of us, along with the fact that this was an American company,” Ms Nooyi, who was then the chief financial officer of PepsiCo, said.
In December 2002, the Supreme Court had pulled up PepsiCo for damaging environment by painting advertisement on rocks in Himalayan mountains. This was followed by allegations of depleting ground water by its various bottling units.
She, however, added the public didn’t see “the other things we were doing” and implied the company was a victim of its own image.
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