NEW DELHI: Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Ramadoss on Wednesday said the cola companies that did not follow the specified standards during manufacture were liable for prosecution.

Responding to the latest study by the Centre for Science and Environment here on the levels of pesticides in soft drinks, Dr. Ramadoss said it was for the State Governments to routinely check the quality of items available in the market for human consumption as per various laws and this was being done.

Inviting CSE director Sunita Narain for discussion on the issue, Dr. Ramadoss said it was wrong on her part to allege that the Government had failed to notify standards for soft drinks.

He said the standards for packaged water had already been notified and the standards for sugar and concentrate would be finalised within the next six months.

The Indian Council for Medical Research was finalising the standards for sugar and had already met thrice, he added.

According to the Minister it was difficult to set standards for sugar and concentrates, two important ingredients used in the manufacture of soft drinks, as they underwent a process of heating and did not leave residues.

Safety paramount: manufacturers

Indian Soft drink Manufacturers Association (ISDMA) on Wednesday asserted that consumer safety was paramount to its members and that the soft drinks manufactured in India complied with stringent international norms and all applicable national regulations.

In a statement issued following revelations made by the CSE, the association said the industry had worked with the Government (Ministry of Health and Bureau of Indian Standards), the scientific community and NGOs over the past three years to establish stringent science-based norms.

These efforts led to the establishment of stricter norms that were on a par with the best in the world.

``We understand that the Ministry of Health is in the process of developing validated testing protocols to which all members of ISDMA are fully aligned and co-operating in the process," the statement said.

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