New Delhi, October 10
Differences over what constitutes the standards for soft drinks surfaced among the Union Ministries deposing before the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) today, pushing into background the controversial issue of the presence of pesticides in soft drinks manufactured by multinational companies.

While the Health Ministry has already issued a draft notification accepting EU norms on soft drinks and other beverages, the Commerce and Food Processing Ministries opposed it before the JPC, probing the presence of pesticides in soft drinks, on the plea that stricter norms would harm the agriculture sector.

The JPC was constituted under the Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar to examine whether the findings of the city-based NGO, Centre for Science and Environment, regarding pesticide residues in soft drinks were correct or not. Later, the JPC’s ambit was expanded to include recommendations for evolving criteria on safety standards for all beverages, where water is the main constituent.

However, the JPC rapped the Health Ministry for issuing the draft notification on the permissible limit of pesticides in soft drinks and beverages which will come into force from January 1 next year.

“The Health Ministry should not have issued the draft notification when the JPC has already been constituted for the purpose,” said Mr Pawar, briefing the Press on the conclusion of a two-day meeting of the committee.