Indian State Places Ban On Coke, Pepsi

An Indian state has banned the sale of soft drinks at government-run schools and colleges, following allegations that drinks from Coca-Cola and PepsiCo sold in the country contained high levels of pesticide, a news report said Saturday.

The government of western Gujarat state has asked state-run colleges and schools not to allow sales of soft drinks on their premises, the Press Trust of India said, quoting the state's education minister.

"We have decided to stop the sale of Coke, Pepsi and other aerated soft drinks in all 400 government-run colleges," Gujarat Education Minister Anandiben Patel was quoted as saying. "We have also intimated all government-run schools in the state about the ban," she said. The ban will be effective from Monday, Patel said.

Offices of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo were shut during the weekend and officials could not be reached for comment.

Last week, both companies denied the charges, saying the soft drinks they manufacture and sell in India "comply with stringent international norms and all applicable national regulations."

Gujarat is the second state to impose such a ban after a New Delhi-based independent research body said last week that it found pesticide residues in samples of Coke and Pepsi that were 24 times above the limits set by the Bureau of Indian Standards.

On Friday, the western state of Rajasthan banned the sale of soft drinks on school premises.

Both Gujarat and Rajasthan are governed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.

The Center for Science and Environment in New Delhi said it carried out tests on 57 samples taken from 11 soft drink brands made by Coca-Cola India and PepsiCo India. The center said it found a "cocktail of three to five different pesticides," all apparently present in groundwater used to make the drinks.

India's Supreme Court on Friday asked these companies to disclose the ingredients of the soft drinks they manufacture and sell here.