JPC upholds CSE findings of pesticides in soft drinks

NEW DELHI, Feb 4 (UNI) A Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) has found correct the findings of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on presence of pesticide residues in soft drinks and recommended the government to fix stringent norms for the Rs 6000-crore carbonated beverages industry ensuring them to be totally free from such unsafe adulteration.

The JPC, set up following the detection of presence of pesticides in the soft drinks in excess of European Union (EU) norms by the CSE, a Delhi-based voluntary organisation, has appreciated its whistle-blowing act in alerting the nation to an issue with major implications to food safety, policy formulation, regulatory framework and human and environmental health.

The committee, headed by Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar, heard the representations of soft drink majors Pepsico and Coca-cola besides examining the official position of the ministries of agriculture, food, environment and health on the issue.

During its six-month probe, the Committee also examined the findings of Central Food Laboratory (CFL) at Kolkata and Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFRIi), Mysore.

The report was tabled in the Lok Sabha today.

The JPC, which has a mandate to find the veracity of the CSE finding, confirmed the presence of pesticides in soft drinks in respect to the 36 samples of 12 brand products of Pepsico and Coca-cola analysed by them containing 32 mostly commonly used pesticides in the country.

The CSE mainly found four pesticides, Lindane, DDT and its metabolites, malathion and chlorpyrifos, in soft drinks which could cause respiratory, digestive, kidney ailments and even cancer besides endocrine disruption.

The committee noted that DDT and Lindane are banned for use in agriculture in the country and suggested an amendment to the insecticide act, 1968 to further restrict the use of harmful pesticides.

However, it found quantitative variations about the presence of pesticide residues found by CSE while citing EU norms and said the CSE could have adopted EU specified methodology to reach the final conclusion instead of the USEPA method it had used.

The Committee expressed its dismay that the Rs 6000-crore soft drink industry was totally unregulated with exemption from industrial licencing.

A soft drink unit gets a one-time licence to operate from the ministry of food processing and industries under the Fruit Products Order (FPO) after procuring a no-objection certificate from the local government and the State Pollution Control Board.

Pulling up the health ministry, the report said as the nodal agency for laying down the standard of safety for all food items "it suddenly became alive to the entire issue only after CSE reported the matter on August 5 last year." The Committee said there was no standard fixed for the water used in the manufacture of soft drinks.

The committee insisted that soft drink companies should not make any difference between non-caffeinated and caffeinated colas and should sell quality products in India as being marketed in the US and other European countries.

Expressing dismay over the fact that half of the total plants of these two soft drink majors, are franchisee-owned plants, the report said of the 52 plants of Coca cola, 27 are in this category while the Pepsico has 21 of the total 38 plants in the country falling in this category.

This has absolved them of any legal liability for their action or inaction as their parent companies are supposed to be answerable.

The 15-member JPC has suggested enacting of an integrated food law and a single authority to monitor the safety standards of soft drinks, packaged water and other juices.

The JPC asked the government to establish a mandatory food recall system and make the companies accountable for selling sub-standard and harmful products in the market.

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