The Hindu : Spurious soda posing health hazard

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 22, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram

Spurious soda posing health hazard

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM Feb. 21. The next time you order a soda from the wayside bunk shop, take a good look at the bottle before gulping down the contents. Does it carry the trade name, manufacturer's address and the price? If not, your favourite drink could be swarming with bacteria or laced with toxic chemicals.

The proliferation of unlicensed soda and soft drink manufacturing units has led to a racket involving unhealthy practices, posing a grave public health hazard. The thriving parallel market has scant regard for rules, regulations and health safeguards.

Many of the units are reportedly using contaminated water and second hand bottles and caps to make a killing out of the booming demand, which peaks during the summer season. The bottles and caps of approved brands are supplied to the unauthorised units through a network of traders.

The spurious drinks are often contaminated by soap, tamarind syrup, washing soda and laced with carcinogenics like sacrene.

Last year, acting on a petition filed by the All Kerala Soda and Soft Drinks Manufacturers Association, the Kerala High Court ordered the Director of Health Services to take action against unauthorised soda units.

The association pleaded that the clandestine market had led to a crisis for the registered soda units, threatening their survival.

The association president, N.K. Asokan, maintains that the Health Department had failed to check the unauthorised business in soda and soft drinks. Many traders are lured by the higher margins offered by illegal manufacturers, he says.

The association has urged the Health and Legal Metrology Departments to launch a crackdown on the sale and manufacture of spurious drinks and ensure a strict licensing system and sales tax registration for manufacturing units.

It has called for periodic raids at shops and bar hotels to unearth illegal stocks. The association has suggested a mechanism to ensure that the bottles and crates supplied to traders are returned to the manufacturers.

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