Real action

News of Coca Cola's (Coke) crimes in the third world has reached the boardroom. Shareholders grilled chief executive Neville Isdell on Coke's role in groundwater depletion in India and killings of union worker in its Columbia bottling plants. Isdell reacted, "As long as anyone continues to believe these allegations, we're going to take them seriously and work to change people's perceptions". So it's loud and clear. Coke is going to work on changing image. How about behaviour?

"World class products"

This last fortnight, after two disparate experiences, I came to realise there is not much difference between colas and cars. Let me explain how.

The latest fizz

on january19, 2005 the soft drink industry delayed, yet again, the implementation of a recent judgement of the Rajasthan high court ordering them to disclose all ingredients, including pesticides content, on the labels of their products (see: Too crooked). The move raised a lot of eyebrows. And the following question: why are soft drink companies shying away?

Rich, suddenly

the natives of Ladakh recently earned a huge profit through direct auctioning of the processed pulp of seabuckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides var turkestanica) berries. The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (lahdc), through cooperatives formed among local communities, sold nearly 86,000 kilogrammes (kg) of the pulp to Arctic Bio-Pro Limited, a Delhi-based company.

Too crooked

the soft drink industry has again indulged in what many term "dirty tactics" to delay the implementation of an October 2004 judgement of the Rajasthan High Court (hc) that asked them to specify the ingredients, including pesticide content, on the labels of their products. On the Supreme Court's (sc's) direction, the industry had approached the hc to work out the modalities for implementing its order. The case was to be heard on January 19, 2005.

In Court

Please act: The Supreme Court issued a notice to the Union government on January 3, 2004, in response to a petition by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL) that seeks a thorough examination of the contents of soft drinks. The petition points out that despite extensive research proving that the contents of these drinks are harmful, the government has not taken any action in this regard. These products are being marketed extensively, it says, and asserts that it is the government's duty to protect the lives of people.

Platform for protest

when you buy a bottle of Coke, the company's sales figures increase. The stock price goes up, encouraging, activists claim, it to support dubious labour practices in Latin America, deplete groundwater in Kerala, and sell drinks laced with pesticides all over India.

Master stroke

for the first time anywhere in the world, soft drink majors Coca-Cola and PepsiCo will have to specify the ingredients, including pesticide content, on the labels of their products.

The verdict is out

after a two-month wait, the verdict is out. Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and other soft drink manufacturers will now have to display on their labels the ingredients, including pesticide residue content, present in their products. In the first week of October, 2004 the Rajasthan High Court (hc) had delivered the order "in public interest".

New ways

Coke And Pepsi Television and Print Media, India