INDIA: Two states impose soft drinks ban

Two Indian states have reportedly banned the sale of soft drinks in schools and colleges following last week's claims that Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo brands contain excessive levels of pesticide.

Local press reports over the weekend said that the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan had imposed the bans in response to a study last week that Coke and Pepsi products contained pesticide levels 24 times above permissible limits.

"We have decided to stop sale of Coke, Pepsi and other aerated soft drinks in all 400 government-run colleges," Gujarat Education Minister Anandiben Patel told the Press Trust of India. "We have also intimated all government-run schools in the state about the ban."

The ban in Gujarat came into force today (7 August) following a similar move in Rajasthan on Friday, when India's Supreme Court hit the two drinks giants with a demand for information on the ingredients in their brands.

Coke and Pepsi have denied the charges in the report, carried out by India's Center for Science and Environment.

"Soft drinks manufactured in India comply with stringent international norms and all applicable national regulations," they said in a joint statement. "Over the past three years, the soft drinks industry has worked with the government, scientific community and NGOs to establish stringent science-based norms."