Pesticides in soft drinks should not cross one PPB: Committee

New Delhi, Mar 18 (UNI) A high-level expert committee appointed by the Union Health Ministry to go into the issue of fixing of maximum limit of pesticides in soft drinks, has recommended that there should not be more than one Part Per Billion (PPB) of residue of an individual pesticide in the carbonated soft drinks, the Supreme Court has been informed.

The government has filed the report of the national level expert group in the apex court which is aimed to guide pesticide residues Sub-Committee of the Central Committee for Food Standards and has said, ''the value is based on consumer safety analytical measurability and achieveability with good manufacturing practices.'' The expert group has also said the upper limit of one PPB was safe and enforceable and was in line with the sentiments expressed by the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) and the limit should be implemented strictly.

Another panel headed by Prof N K Ganguly, Chairman of the Indian Council of Medical Research, has agreed with the JPC observations that fruits and vegetable juices cannot be clubbed and equated with the carbonated water while fixing the maximum residue limit because of their different character.

The report has been filed in the Supreme Court where PILs are pending seeking ban on manufacturing, sale and consumption of soft drinks like Pepsi and Coca Cola on the grounds that pesticides and chemicals used in these soft drinks were extremely harmful and dangerous for human health and safety.

Soft drinks majors have been extremely reluctant in displaying the ingredient with percentage on their bottles.

Kerala had banned the manufacturing, sale and consuption of these soft drinks in the state.

According to experts, use of pesticides and chemicals leads to serious ailments in the bodies of the consumers, majority of whom are small children.

The committee has concluded by recommending that the fact that such standards/norms for carbonated drinks have not been prescribed in the world should not come in the way of India becoming first country in the world to enforce these standards.

UNI