India’s highest court has ordered Pepsi and Coca-Cola to print warnings on their bottles sold in the country that the contents may contain pesticide residues.
The Supreme Court ruling late on Monday upheld a judgement by the Rajasthan High Court last month.
The Supreme Court said the concern in Rajasthan stemmed from public interest and ”we do not see anything unreasonable or unconstitutional in the High Court order”.
India’s highest court said the language and content of the warning would be finalised by the Rajasthan court. The two soft drink giants have two weeks to give the lower court proposed drafts of the pesticide warnings.
Last February a parliamentary probe found soft drinks sold in India by US beverage giants Coca-Cola and Pepsi contained pesticide residues and urged tougher national health standards.
The inquiry was ordered after a New Delhi-based environmental group, the Centre for Science and Environment, alleged 12 of the companies’ soft drinks had such high pesticide levels they could lead to cancer and other diseases.
The parliamentary committee concluded that the group ”stands corroborated on its finding of pesticide residues in the soft drinks”.
Coca-Cola and Pepsi, which have joined forces in the legal battle, have consistently denied their drinks pose any health hazards.
Responding to the ruling, a Coke spokesperson told The Indian Express, ”Our product manufactured in India is world-class and safe.”
A Pepsi statement added, ”Our products conform to highest international standards.”
Harish Salve, lawyer for the two companies, said during court proceedings that extensive use of pesticides in agriculture had resulted in a high degree of their presence in sugar.
He told the court no pesticide was added to the soft drink in the manufacturing process.
But the judges said the companies could ”declare in your printline that the sugar used by the soft drink manufacturer contained pesticide” and consumers had the right to know what there were consuming.
The supreme court gave the cola firms, who dominate the Indian market, leave to return before it again if they failed to agree with the Rajasthan court on the wording of the warnings. – Sapa-AFP