How the events unfolded

A quick round-up of all that has happened; click to access the highlighted words and phrases.

February 2003: CSE releases study on pesticide residues in bottled water.

July 2003: Government notifies standards for pesticide residues in bottled water.

August 5, 2003: CSE releases study on pesticide residues in soft drinks.

August 5, 2003: PepsiCo and Coca-Cola do joint press conference. They question the CSE lab.

August 2003: PepsiCo files defamation case against CSE. The writ petition wants a gag order against CSE. CSE calls it a SLAPP case. Pepsi subsequently withdrew the case

August 2003: Joint Parliamentary Committee constituted to investigate the CSE findings and to examine safety standards for beverages.

September 2003-January 2004: JPC convenes meetings, where all parties, companies, government, CSE depose. JPC sends detailed questions to all.

February 2004: JPC report tabled in Parliament. The report endorses the CSE findings. All issues regarding CSE laboratory and the queries raised by companies deliberated in the report. It concludes: The committee recommends that standards for carbonated beverages, which are best suited for Indian conditions, need to be fixed in the overall perspective of public health. These standards should be stringent enough. The reason that other countries have not fixed such limits should not dissuade our law makers in attempting to do so, particularly when a vulnerable section of our population who are young and constitute a vast national asset are consuming soft drinks. In the Committee's view, therefore, it is prudent to seek complete freedom from pesticide residues in sweetened aerated waters. Unsafe even if trace should be the eventual goal.

February 2004: Emergency meeting of the Central Committee on Food Standards (CCFS) of the Union ministry of health to endorse the JPC report. Committee says standards will be finalised urgently.

June 2004: Pesticide Residues Sub-committee of the Union ministry of health meets. It decides to do year-long monitoring of pesticides in soft drinks before standards are finalised.

July 2004: BIS sectional committee meets the ninth time. It decides to issue draft standards for public comments. Companies complain against BIS officials to the Union ministry of consumer affairs. They say sugar data has not been used for final standard.

October 2004: BIS committee meets in Chennai. Industry data on sugar is submitted and found that in most cases, it has no pesticide residues.

November 2004: CCFS meets. CSE writes to committee giving data on caffeine, pH and pesticide residue standards. But the CCFS decides to set up sub-committee to do year-long monitoring of pesticide residues in sugar/soft drink.

October 2005: BIS committee meets for the 12^th time in Mysore. All issues are discussed and resolved (see attached table on Avoiding standards).

March 2006: BIS committee meets and reconfirms standards. Letter from Union health secretary (see attached letter) placed before it. Says standards should be deferred.

april 2006: The BIS puts notice on website: Standards finalised but not yet under print.

June 2006: Notice disappears from the BIS website.

August 2006: CSE releases data from its nationwide study on pesticides in soft drinks. It finds that in 57 samples from 12 states, levels of pesticides are high. Drinks are still unsafe...