Further on Cola Trial: Now, Ramadoss says no clean chit to colas

Here is further to the Cola trials...many educational institutions across the country seem to have banned the soft drinks on their own, apart from the 6 states that have taken a stand and Kerala which leads through its comprehensive ban on both production and marketing. One of the pro-Cola company report in a news paper indicates that as Kerala consumes less than 2% of soft drinks it is no loss to the company any way (implies - 'and only the loss for the state').

Now, Ramadoss says no clean chit to colas: "Recalling his statement in Parliament, Ramadoss said that notwithstanding the CSE's report, his Ministry has lifted about 214 samples throughout the country and were being tested in Central laboratories.
He said his Ministry has invited CSE Director Sunita Narain and her group of experts to the Health Ministry for a threadbare discussion with experts in the Ministry.
Ramadoss said that 500 more samples of soft drinks would be lifted from different parts of the country for testing.
An expert committee of the Ministry said on Tuesday not only did the sampling lack scientific and statistically valid results, the CSE report also did not provide details required for the confirmatory interpretation of quantum results."

Follow-up on the Cola trial

Who is the real enemy of the health care of people of India?...not the Cola companies nor the government of their land that issued vague threats on the 'temporary' set-back on FDI (they better not get into any long term set-back, their corporates are salivating for cheap labour and massive markets), it is Anbumanai Ramdoss and the babudom denizens of the health ministry. A committee set-up to explore the CSE (how does a committee come to be so fast, conduct test and pronounce results in a matter of less than a month within a ministry that cannot promise health for all in this country in almost sixty years of its existence is a wonder) report, has done what the Cola companies wanted it to do, rubbish the report and not say anything about what will the Colas do to the health of ordinary Indians. Cheap!

Interestingly, Anbumanai Ramdoss's his wife edits and publishes a tamil environmental monthly that among other issues had carried the earlier expose of CSE, and even ran a campaign on that issue, but, then he was in the opposition. Cheap twice over!!

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1917307.cms
The government on Tuesday gave a clean chit to beleaguered soft drink giants Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Health minister Anbumani Ramadoss told Parliament that an expert committee, set up by his ministry, found no evidence of high levels of pesticides in carbonated drinks as alleged by NGO Centre for Science and Environment. The minister said the committee — headed by additional DG, health services, Dr D Kanungo — has held that presence of pesticides like Malathion, Heptachlor and Chlorpyrifos residue in colas was doubtful. It also felt many crucial details needed to confirm the presence of high levels of pesticides were not submitted by the CSE to the ministry, thereby "making it inadequate to reach a conclusion." Ramadoss added that blah-blha-blah.... "Scientific validation requires collaborative work ...," the committee said...

There you go, the babus have pronounced and the minister bleats! and all is well with the public health!! lets go to the nearest outlet and drink our cokes!!! The statement about scientific validation requiring colloborative work is interesting, whom are these people colloborating with...is like they say elsewhere, 'left to speculation'...Thank God, we have CSE!

News Comment: Coca-Cola `surprised' at guarantees case against it

The Hindu Business Line : Coca-Cola `surprised' at guarantees case against it

The cola war goes on...why doesn't any one ask the fundamental question to the Cola companies:

1. Do the Colas provide any nutritive value - NO
2. Are they healthy - NO
3. Are they rejuvenate or will they cure any disorders (of which we have plentiful in this country) - NO
4. Have these companies lied and have been caught - YES (read the complete story www.cseindia.org)
5. Have they proved themselves against the poor of India (for whom every political heart bleeds) - YES (read all about Plechimada here)
6. Have they promoted any value that is positive and /or beneficial to the society at large or the country in general - NO
7. Have they created any asset in this country that can be utilized by any other industry for their betterment or the country's betterment - NO (the two major cola companies they systematically took over or marginalised and eliminated all other carbonated beverages)
8. Have they created any 'knowledge' (we are supposed to be getting into a knowledge economy, society and future) that the country and its citizens can value or be proud of - NO (except if you consider the 'knowledge' of how pop-corn and cola can be consumed together from the same cup so that your hands are free for other things as valuable)
9. Have they created wealth to the country and country people - NO (except if one were to consider the artists and cricketers who endorse their products most of whom cannot be considered Indians)
10. Have they made the chances of India better in adopting to the MDG or in making the Environment 'Sustainable'? - NO (President Bush cited India as one of the large carbon emitters when he refused to ratify the Kyoto protocol, but, has anyone done an 'energy audit' on the amount of carbon emission that India can save if only these two major Cola's from Bush country were to stop operations in India, maybe we will earn more revenue through carbon credits if we stop that much emission today!!).

Fundamental Questions, 'fundas'! as we call in Chennai is what needs to be put before the Cola Giants, not because they care or would respond, but, because we need to remind ourselves that there are fundas more funda than the cola-funda they try to teach us where the only long term vision is for us to become their loyal consumers!