States take the fizz out of cola

-- Centre for Science and Environment's latest findings on pesticides in soft drinks (see 'The street fight', Down To Earth, August 15, 2006) has received an encouraging response across India.

Highlights of some of the measures taken are:

• Supreme Court has issued a notice to Coca-Cola and PepsiCo to disclose chemical composition of their products

• Government has set up an expert committee to fix the maximum residue limits in carbonated beverages, juices

• Kerala has banned production and sale of soft drinks

• Gujarat has banned sale of soft drinks in all government-run schools and colleges

• Madhya Pradesh has banned sale of colas in office canteens and educational institutions

• Punjab has banned sale of soft drinks in the Vidhan Sabha canteen

• Haryana and Rajasthan have banned colas in over 10,000 government and private institutes

• Several schools in Mumbai have banned the sale of soft drinks on their campuses without waiting for the state government's directions

• Delhi is also contemplating a ban on the sale of colas in all schools