The Supreme Court on Thursday quashed the criminal proceedings initiated by the Kerala government against PepesiCo over pesticide content in its soft drinks. PepsiCo India was charged with selling soft drinks with higher pesticide content than the prescribed limit. The bench also set aside Kerala High Court’s order that had refused to stay criminal proceedings against the company.
PepsiCo has contested state government’s proceedings over the alleged adulteration of its soft drinks.The company argued that as per the law existing at the time when the case was initiated, there was no provision governing pesticide adulteration in cold drinks.No standards have been fixed yet on the permissible pesticide content in soft drinks under the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, and Prevention of Food Adulteration Rules, 1955, the company claimed before a bench headed by Justice Altamas Kabir.
