Kathmandu, Aug 13: Following the cola controversy in India, Nepal has begun testing samples of five major brands of soft drinks, including Coke and Pepsi, for hazardous ingredients. Nepal’s Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DFTQC) has started testing samples of five major soft drinks to investigate if they contained any harmful ingredients, the Kathmandu Post reported today. Samples of Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Pepsi and Mirinda were collected from the market for lab tests, which commenced on Monday, Urmila Joshi, food investigation officer, DFTQC, said.
However, the department lacks advanced technology and equipment to conduct the study on par with European standards, the paper reported. There is rising concern over the safety of international brands of soft drinks among Nepal’s consumers after claims of harmful levels of pesticides having been found in Pepsi and Coke brands in India. Bureau Report