The South Asian: What’s in my Soft Drink?

May 01, 2006

What’s in my Soft Drink?

With bugs, a condom and iron being found in beverages sold by Pepsi and Coke, not just in India but also in Japan, one has to ask whether these companies focused on cost cutting have no eye for their processes?

Till recently, both Coke and Pepsi claimed that vested interests in India were targeting them. Thus, they were quite reticent it accepting various government and independent reports on pesticides in their drinks. They claimed it was fabricated – made up.

Even now, they are unwilling to accept the verdict of the Rajasthan high court, waiting to take the issue to the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, various newspapers have reported that a consumer court has asked Coca Cola to pay Rs. 1.2 lakhs after a consumer found dead insects in an unopened bottle of sprite. Rs 1 lakh will be paid to the Consumer Legal Aid Fund as per the direction of the courts and Rs 20,000 towards the complainant.

The same court had held Pepsi liable and ordered the company pay a similar amount after a consumer had found a condom in a seal bottle of Pepsi.

However, it seems that these are not just problems in India. Iron powder was found in bottles of Coke products including Aquarius, Qoo Tottemo Orange, as well as Coca-Cola, Diet Coca-Cola, Fanta Orange and Fanta Grape bottled in the last week of March. The company has recalled 5.7 lakhs bottles of these drinks.

Posted by collective at May 01, 2006 04:04 PM

Comments

A food inspection officer from the Dept of Agriculture at Bhopal, M.P., India- that I accidentally met last weekend, mentioned about finding a nail in Coke when inspecting coke facilities - along with lots of cockroach that find their way in through the pipes. He told me that water is stored in a big tank with a lot of iron nails put in it - so that the Ferric Oxide helps give it the colour.. THe PH is also 3-4 and differs all over the world (6+ in the US he claimed - and all the stuff about same quality internationally all humbug). Also for a production of 5 lakh bottles, they probably filter water only in 1 lakh bottles - rest being filled directly by the ground water.

Posted by: Amit Raje on May 2, 2006 06:49 PM

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