Cola: sugar, water, colour, atrazine?!

[Che Guava]

Put down that can of coke for a miunte....

Indian state bans Pepsi and Coke
By Sanjoy Majumder
BBC News, Delhi

The Indian state of Kerala has banned the production and sale of Coca Cola and Pepsi following a report that the drinks contain harmful pesticides.

It said it was taking the step because the drinks pose a health risk. Both soft drinks manufacturers have said their products are safe.

Five other states have already announced partial bans on the drinks in schools, colleges and hospitals.

But Kerala is the first to completely ban their production and sale.

The move by the communist government in Kerala in southern India is the most severe reaction to a report released last week by an Indian non-government organisation, the Centre for Science and Environment.

It said tests carried on samples of the drinks across 12 Indian states revealed dangerously high levels of pesticides.

Both Coca Cola and Pepsi have disputed the report's findings, saying their drinks meet international safety standards.

'Absolutely safe'

The Indian Soft Drinks Manufacturers Association issued a statement on Wednesday after the Kerala ban was announced.

"Our products manufactured in India are absolutely safe and meet every safety standard set by food health and regulatory bodies in India and all over the world," it said.

It said it would only comment on the Kerala ban once it had been told about it by the authorities.

In 2003, the Indian parliament upheld a similar report by the NGO, alleging that soft drinks sold by the two companies in India contained pesticides.

It recommended that India set purity standards for soft drinks.

But three years later, the government is yet to act on the recommendation.

link

The CSE's report outlines what they found, and it includes some pretty nasty things, including:

Lindane (carcinogenic): 54X above safe level
Chlorpyrifos (neurotoxin) 47X above safe level
Heptachlor (neurotoxin, banned in Indai): 4X above safe level

yuck.

 

[skadistic]

Ewwwww glad mine is bottled here in the US where quality controls are far stricter.......I think.

For some reason this reminds me of when a guy stood up and demanded a poly-something plant be shut down because it used hydrogyndioxide in the manufacturing process and how it was harmfull if inhailed.

 

[Leatherneck]

Old news ... India said they'd lift the band if Coke and Pepsi told them EXACTLY what was in their product in EXACTLY what quanties. Looks like state sponsored pirating to me, so they can produce the same produce under their own name.

 

[El_Machinae]

Well, it's their right to deny the product, I guess.
I mean, we're all pretty aware how copyright is treated there already - so it wouldn't take anyone by surprise if the information was misused.

 

[Masquerouge]

Old news ... India said they'd lift the band if Coke and Pepsi told them EXACTLY what was in their product in EXACTLY what quanties. Looks like state sponsored pirating to me, so they can produce the same produce under their own name.

I agree. "yes. we've banned Coke and Pepsi! But for all the soda lovers, we have.... INDIA COLA! Perfectly safe! Cheap!"

 

[skadistic]

I agree. "yes. we've banned Coke and Pepsi! But for all the soda lovers, we have.... INDIA COLA! Perfectly safe! Cheap!"

Made with fresh water straight out of the Ganges river.

 

[ArneHD]

Old news ... India said they'd lift the band if Coke and Pepsi told them EXACTLY what was in their product in EXACTLY what quanties. Looks like state sponsored pirating to me, so they can produce the same produce under their own name.

Well, it could just be that they are worried that there might be some sort of harmful substance in the cola. I mean, they must be very worried right after they have found pestesides in it.

 

[Elta]

You want to know whats in it exactly? Okay well we start out with cows blood jk

 

[Masquerouge]

You want to know whats in it exactly? Okay well we start out with cows blood jk

What's wrong with cow blood?

 

[Narz]

Good for them. Everyone knows soft drinks are worse than marijuana but the profit margin from selling them is higher.

 

[Che Guava]

Old news ... India said they'd lift the band if Coke and Pepsi told them EXACTLY what was in their product in EXACTLY what quanties. Looks like state sponsored pirating to me, so they can produce the same produce under their own name.

Maybe there is some alterior motives, but I think lindane in your coke is enough on its own to warrant a ban. from wiki:

Like other agricultural pesticides, lindane is very easily introduced into the water and food supply of an area through rainfall; this can lead to low-level lindane poisoning amongst the local community. A chief symptom of this is a tic causing occasional flickering of the eyelid; other than this minor discomfort, such levels of poisoning are not harmful. Lindane has caused seizures, blood disorders, brain cancer in children, and is linked to both breast cancer, and movement disorders such as Tourette's Syndrome and Parkinson's disease. Lindane is no longer manufactured in the US, but is sold as a pharmaceutical by Alliant, who sells pediatric meds, even though lindane is to be used with extreme caution in anyone under 110 pounds.

It's pretty commonly used in developping countries, including india. I wonder where the coke factory gets thier water...

 

[Shadylookin]

odds are the water is what is polluted and coke company uses that water. perhaps india should clean up it's water supply

 

[Leatherneck]

You want to know whats in it exactly? Okay well we start out with cows blood jk

That was bad .... funny but bad .... I get it.

 

[Leatherneck]

odds are the water is what is polluted and coke company uses that water. perhaps india should clean up it's water supply

They can't do that ... Coke and Pepsi are american products and come hell or high water it will be an americans fault, bet on it.

I agree don't blame companies for whats in the water if they didn't put it that, try something novel like cleaning up your water. I bet "India Coke" has that chemical in it too, just doesn't get pulled for some favoritism, political reason.

 

[emzie]

What's wrong with cow blood?

Well first and formost, it's in every steak.. but drinking it?

I've had it. Cow's blood and cow milk together. I'm sure you all are vomiting at the idea.

My grandmother was born in Kenya as a colonialist. During her childhood, she spent time with the Maasai tribe (many of whom worked on her family's tea plantation). The staple to their diet is cow milk. When there's not enough milk, they mix milk and blood.

For her 70th birthday, one of the things on the menu was unpasteurized milk (the family had to get it from a dairy farm... illegal to sell even there though!) and cow's blood. Couldn't refrigerate it either. It wasn't that bad actually.

 

[emzie]

They can't do that ... Coke and Pepsi are american products and come hell or high water it will be an americans fault, bet on it.

I agree don't blame companies for whats in the water if they didn't put it that, try something novel like cleaning up your water. I bet "India Coke" has that chemical in it too, just doesn't get pulled for some favoritism, political reason.

I would blame them for not testing it and treating it. Do you really think such testing doesn't go on even in the west?

 

[Leatherneck]

I would blame them for not testing it and treating it. Do you really think such testing doesn't go on even in the west?

A yeah ... there are very tight controls on waste water in the west, the point I'm making is I doubt India domestic protucts are any safer or dangerous than products made in India by foreign companies. i.e. Coke and Pepsi remember India cracked down on western internet blog sites and other western things here lately, so it's not out of the question they'd single out Coke and Pepsi; what are the odds the #1 and #2 brands in the world, both American where the ONLY wrong doers ... I'd say pretty slim.