New Delhi, Aug 08: In the midst of raging controversy on alleged presence of pesticides in soft drinks, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) today blamed the government for lack of adequate regulations for the soft drinks industry. Cola companies cannot determine the regulations they will follow, the Centre's director Sunita Narain said adding "we have consistently maintained, it is not Coke or Pepsi per se that are to blame, it is the lack of government regulations." She refused to accept cola majors' contention that they are meeting global standards and said they were meeting only the "virtually non-existent government norms".
She welcomed health ministry's initiative to get samples from the two cola giants, Coke and Pepsi tested independently for pesticides residues. She also welcomed Pepsi's move to file a writ petition in the High Court saying it was prepared for a legal battle on the issue.
"We are yet to receive a communication in this regard and have heard about it (petition) from the media. We welcome the move and are looking forward to discuss the issue with Pepsi in court," Narain said.
She disassociated CSE from those groups which were smashing and burning bottles of Coke and Pepsi and even calling for their ban.
Instead of breaking bottles, it is important for the same activists to point accusing fingers at the weak regulatory framework for the soft drink industry, she added. Bureau Report