The results of the laboratory tests of samples of Coca-Cola, Pepsi and other brands of aerated drinks would be received within a fortnight, Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration commissioner Uttam Khobragade said on Thursday.
"We will be receiving the report of the laboratory tests of water sources used in soft drinks and those of the final product within a period of 15 days," Khobragade told PTI in Mumbai.
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In view of the reported presence of pesticides and insecticides in Coca-Cola, Pepsi and ten other soft drink brands, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday announced its decision to sent samples of cold drinks to laboratories for examination.
The laboratory tests were conducted every two years and the results of the tests carried out in December last were negative for any contamination, the FDA commissioner said.
But following reports of the presence of pesticides and insecticides in popular brands of the soft drinks, the state government as a precautionary measure has decided to go in for fresh tests again, Khobragade said.
The bottling plants of Coca-Cola are located at Thane, Raigad, Pune, Nashik and Aurangabad in the state.
Khobragade reiterated that if tests prove presence of hazardous substances in the soft drinks then the administration would cancel licenses given to these plants.
The state government's move comes in the wake of reports of the tests conducted by Pollution Monitoring Laboratory of the Centre for Science and Environment, a New Delhi-based NGO, that samples of soft drinks contained residues of pesticides and insecticides.
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