NEW DELHI, India, February 5, 2004 (ENS) - Twelve cola products, including Pepsi and Coca-Cola, did in fact contain pesticide residues as alleged by a New Delhi nongovernmental organization, the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Soft Drinks declared in its report released on Wednesday. The residues were identified as chemicals commonly used in India to control insects in agricultural fields and homes.

The 15 member Joint Parliamentary Committee, headed by then Nationalist Congress Party Leader Sharad Pawar, was set up in August 2003 to probe a report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), which had alleged the presence of pesticide residues in the soft drinks.

"The committee is of the view that the CSE findings are correct on the presence of pesticide residues in carbonated water in respect of three samples each of 12 brand products of Pepsico and Coca-Cola analyzed by them," the report states. "CSE stands corroborated on its finding pesticide residues in carbonated water."

Both Coca-Cola and Pepsi repeated that their products in India are "absolutely safe" and meet international quality standards.

"Our products manufactured in India are world class and safe. We follow one quality system across the world," Coke said in a statement Wednesday.

"We have always produced beverages in India that are absolutely safe and made according to the same high quality standards we use around the world," Pepsi Foods said in a separate statement.

But the labs that conducted tests on behalf of the government found pesticide residues 1.2 to 5.22 times higher than the European Union limit for total pesticide residues in drinking water in 75 percent of the samples.

The government in its response said, "the assertion of the soft drink manufacturers that their product is within the EU limits has also not proved to be correct for 100 percent of the samples."

"The committee feels that the existence of a bottlers' agreement cannot absolve the producers and marketers of their responsibility towards ensuring freedom from contamination of the beverages sold to consumers," it said.

At a marathon meeting in New Delhi last week, the Joint Parliamentary Committee members finalized their 300 page report. It is based on hearings that spanned five months and included testimony from soft drink manufacturers and the Ministry of Health.

In August 2003, the Centre for Science and Environment published lab results showing that Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Diet Pepsi, Mirinda orange, Mirinda lemon, Blue Pepsi, 7-Up, Coca-Cola, Fanta, Limca, Sprite, and Thums Up contained varying amounts of organochlorine and organophosphorus pesticides.

The most prevalent of the pesticides was lindane, found in 100 percent of the soft drink samples tested by Centre for Science and Environment. On average, lindane concentration in all brands was 21 times higher than the European allowable level.

Lindane damages the human central nervous system and immune system and is a confirmed carcinogen.

Drinks samples tested positive for malathion, DDT, and chlorpyrifos, which in one of the brands, Miranda Lemon, was found in concentrations 42 times the European allowable limit.

The CSE report cited government estimates that as of March 2001, Indians purchased 6.54 billion cold drink bottles per year, enough for each man, woman and child in the country to consume six bottles of soft drinks each year. "In Delhi, the consumption is a whopping 50 bottles per person per year," CSE wrote.

In view of its findings, the Joint Parliamentary Committee has asked the government to formulate strict quality standards for carbonated drinks. Currently, no standards for soft drinks exist in India.