India orders Coke and Pepsi to warn about pesticide content

Manufacturers of Coca Cola and Pepsi soft drinks in India have been ordered by India's Supreme Court to include warnings on product labels that the drinks contain pesticides. The two companies, which control nearly 100% of India's soft-drink business, have received a setback after a well-publicized test made by a Delhi-based environmental group revealed that their products contain large doses of lindane, DDT, chlorpyrifos, malathion and other toxic chemicals.

Subsequent government tests confirmed the initial findings, and the news has halted the companies' growth in India. Coca Cola and Pepsi have argued that pesticides appear in the raw materials they use and are not part of the manufacturing process, but the judges ruled that it is the responsibility of the producers to warn consumers of the chemicals' presence.