An Indian parliamentary panel on Wednesday upheld a report by an environmental group that said beverages made by Coca-Cola Co and PepsiCo Inc contained pesticides and called for tougher safety standards.
The panel was set up last August after a public outcry over the report by the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment, which said drinks from the two firms contained dangerously high pesticide residue levels.
The two US firms had strongly rejected the findings and said their products were safe.
"The committee are of the view that CSE (Centre for Science and Environment) findings are correct on the presence of pesticide residues...in respect of three samples each of 12 brand products of PepsiCo and Coca-Cola analysed by them," the lawmakers said in a report presented to parliament.
They said the beverages should conform to safety standards prescribed by the European Union (EU), in line with bottled water firms in the country, which began following EU safety standards from last month.
In its report, CSE said the soft drinks it tested in India had high pesticide content because the soft drink and bottled water industry at the time used an enormous amount of ground water as basic raw material. Similar tests on drinks sold in the United States found no toxins.
The parliamentary panel does not have powers to penalise or prosecute and its observations are not binding.
The panel rapped the government, saying it was "dismayed" that concerned ministries focused on the issue only after the environment group published its findings.
It recommended a range of measures to improve food safety standards in a country where experts say toxins contaminate a large number of items, including water, milk, oil, ghee and vegetables.
Coca-Cola said it would comply with "whatever standards the government concludes are the most appropriate" for soft drinks in India.
"Pending the government's decision, we note that the JPC (Joint Parliamentary Committee) is recommending science-based standards with which we already comply," the firm said in a statement.
PepsiCo said it was reviewing the lawmakers' report. "We share the government's interest in protecting the health of Indian consumers, which is why we have always produced beverages in India that are absolutely safe and made according to the same high-quality standards we use around the world," it said in a statement.