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
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.
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.
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.
Growing Backlash Against Soda Pop in India
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