Growing Backlash Against Soda Pop in India

Thu Aug 10 16:08:26 -0700 2006
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Several states in India have banned the sale of Coke and Pepsi products around government schools and facilities. They cite their own study that shows the softdrinks contained pesticide levels 24 times higher than what was deemed "safe". The business community is appalled, and says it will slow foreign investment, and Coke and Pepsi deny the claims. The government is demanding the secret recipes be disclosed, to get to all the ingredients, etc, and the companies are refusing-so far.


"Two more Indian states have banned the sale of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo soft drinks at government-run schools and colleges over allegations they contain high levels of pesticides."..more there

OSI - acronym taken

Thu Aug 10 20:15:12 -0700 2006
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So they want Open Source Ingredients, eh?
Growing Backlash Against Soda Pop in India
Thu Aug 10 20:26:32 -0700 2006
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Seems like there ought to be a way to verify good inputs
and good practices on the part of the bottlers without
disclosing the secret formula.
Growing Backlash Against Soda Pop in India
Thu Aug 10 22:40:12 -0700 2006
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You shouldn't drink anything that can dissolve a piece of metal.
Growing Backlash Against Soda Pop in India
Thu Aug 10 22:47:27 -0700 2006
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I do it all the time.

Keeps the microbes away.  And the bacteria.
Keeps the teeth white, too.

And in India, it will keep the weeds out also!
Growing Backlash Against Soda Pop in India
Fri Aug 11 00:19:33 -0700 2006
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The article has a quote: "...our products in India are absolutely safe, just as they are elsewhere in the world," said Dick Detwiler, a New York-based spokesman for PepsiCo's international division. Puh-leeze. Even distilled water isn't "absolutely safe".

>the center said almost all soft drinks sold in India contain high levels of pesticides
So they only ban the foreigners. There don't seem to be any good guys in this one.
Growing Backlash Against Soda Pop in India
Fri Aug 11 10:01:11 -0700 2006
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Considering that you're dealing with substances that in the original formulas make perfectly good pesticides, what did they expect?

OTOH, banning the foreigners in general seems like a good idea for any country to do, at least, if they expect to still be a nation with a unique culture.

Coke and Pepsi kill off local brands

Sat Aug 12 02:00:26 -0700 2006
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I can relate to India's position. Especially with the environmental damage caused by those two, in particular to water. That wasn't covered in the article.

Vernors, Cream Soda, Mer, and a whole slew of other softdrinks have met their demise at the hands of Pepsi-Coke. There used to be regional specialties, some good (to my taste) some awful (to my taste). There used to be a variety of flavors and sweetness even at regional and local levels, now it's all thin corn syrup.

I remember back when Coke and Pepsi were regional drinks and neither ubiquitous nor syrupy. Local beverages create tastes more suited to the area's population, and seemed to have helped with employment/economic factors. Behemoths like Pepsi and Coke have probably done measurable economic damage noticeable even at the national level, IMHO.

When I can, I prefer local brands. Most of the time, they've much more flavor and are less sweet.