New Delhi, Aug 14: Coca-Cola India today welcomed the statement made by the Kerala health minister which said that its products "do not contain toxic materials". "The tests conducted by the Kerala State Health Department are an affirmation of our continued position that our products are safe and that they are manufactured to the highest quality standards," Coca-Cola India Vice President (technical operations) D S Mathur said in a statement. Stating that the softdrinks major was working closely with government agencies, he said "we continue to beleive that a consistent, professional testing protocol is necessary if the interests of consumers and the interests of beverage manufacturers are to be jointly served". Kerala Health Minister P Sankaran had yesterday said that the interim report of the sample analyses of Coca-Cola products from its Plachimada plant revealed that the soft drink did not contain cadmium, and the lead content was lower than the permissible level. The state government is conducting a final test at the central food technology and research institute, Mysore, whose results would be known today.

Bureau Report