Coke, Pepsi claim world class quality of soft drinks

Faced with massive public outcry and protests over detection of lethal pesticides above permissible limit in their soft drinks, cola majors Coca-Cola and Pepsi on Thursday asserted that their products are of 'world class quality'.

Dubbing the finding of the NGO, Centre of Science and Environment, which conducted the test, as incorrect and baseless, the Coca-Cola in a release here claimed that the soft drinks manufactured in India "conforms to the same high standards of quality as in the USA and Europe and that there is no duality of standards".

According to Coca-Cola, "there is no contamination or toxicity whatsoever in our brand of beverages. Drinking our beverages is and will be safe and refreshing during your entire lifetime".

Pepsi, in a separate release, claimed that all its products met all international standards and delivered only 'safe and world-class quality' to consumers.

"Specifically, with regard to any kind of pollutants, pesticides included, all Pepsi products meet and indeed better the most stringent testing standards".

It said that the regular testing and the stringent quality norms for all soft drink products "are what allow Pepsi to guarantee consistent quality and purity".

"These test methods require specialized equipment and highly trained and experienced personnel to accurately detect pesticide residue at 0.1 part per billion levels. To provide an idea of the stringency of these standards, this is equivalent to measuring 1 second in 320 years," Pepsi said.