Thursday May 31, 2007, 10:08 am
It's about time!

Thursday May 31, 2007, 10:09 am
It's about time!

Thursday May 31, 2007, 3:15 pm
This is good news.

Thursday May 31, 2007, 5:13 pm
What does a rat or a chimp know about people's tastes in soda? They never should have been doing this in the first place, it's nutty.

Thursday May 31, 2007, 5:22 pm
I wonder what they were looking for by testing on animals. Maybe how much pesticide does it take to kill one of these creatures? Kind of hard to find humans who would take pesticides in a clinical study

Pesticides in Pepsi, Coke, says CSE study

PTI | August 3 2006
http://oheraldo.in/node/17264

Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) today came out with a fresh study claiming the presence of ‘pesticide cocktail’ in 11 brands of soft drink giants Coca Cola and Pepsico, three years after the same brands were found to have contained pesticides.

The new findings, publicised after testing 57 samples of 11 soft drink brands of Coca Cola and Pepsico collected from 25 manufacturing units across 12 States, claims that all the bottles examined were a ‘cocktail of 3-5 different pesticides’ which was 24 times above the standards finalised by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

“We have found pesticide residue in all soft drinks tested. Three years ago, when the tests were conducted we could spot only four pesticides. This time it has increased to five in some cases,” CSE Director Sunita Narain told reporters here.

The study — ‘Soft Drinks - Hard Truth II’ — claims that the average amount of pesticide residues found in all the samples was 11.85 parts per billion, which is 24 times higher than the BIS standards for pesticides in softdrinks (0.5 ppb).
In 2003, the average level of pesticide residues in Delhi samples were 34 times above the same BIS standards.

“This cannot be taken as a marginal reduction, because this time to our utter shock, we have found pesticides as high as 52 times in samples of Kolkata and 42 times in Nainital and Gorakhpur,” said CSE Associate Director Chandrabhushan.

Narain said the study has found that Pepsi cola contained 30 times higher residues on an average and it was 27 times higher for Coca Cola.

It also found the presence of Lindane (a carcinogen), Chlorphyrifis (a neurotoxin), Heptachlor, Mealthion and HCH.
Heptachlor, banned in India, was found in 71 percent of the samples, at four times higher than BIS standards.

On an average, the levels of deadly Lindane were over 54 times above the approved standards while one Coca Cola sample from Kolkata had this pesticide 140 times.

Chlorpyrifos levels were on an average 47 times higher and a Coca Cola sample from Thane tested for this particular pesticide at a level that is 200 times than the approved levels.

“This is clearly unacceptable as we know that pesticides are tiny toxins and impact our bodies over time. Our soft drinks remain unsafe and unhealthy and public health remains severly compromised,” said Narain.

She said the fresh study was conducted by the same pollution monitoring laboratory of CSE, which has conducted the 2003 tests after acquiring ISO 9001:2000 standards. “This will silence the criticism raised by Cola companies that we are not competent enough to carry out such tests.”

Friday June 1, 2007, 1:53 am
What in the name of mental insanity do these companies need to test on animals. Whether they prefer coke or pepsi? Does anyone know how long this has been going on. This is the first time I have heard about this. I bet there are alot of activists who would stop purchasing both of rust cleaners. The price this time, would be that they apply pressure to others companies to become members of their recovering research addict groups that they will have to host and maintain. Free brain lobotomies for all infected members and a personal sampling of all the tortures they have inflicted on innocent animals over millenia. LOL

Friday June 1, 2007, 2:09 am
This is great news! Now they need to eliminate the sodium benzoate in their recipes...

Friday June 1, 2007, 7:51 am
This also my first time hearing this too. I was shocked to even think they tested animals for soda pop???
GOOD NIGHT...wonder what they were looking for before they sold it to us????

Friday June 1, 2007, 8:00 am
P.S. PLEASE read this article too. Makes you wonder...and at the same time "pissed!"

Friday June 1, 2007, 8:33 am
What makes soda companies think that animals are good judges when testing sodas? Does this mean that the sodas are made to please the animals, so us people should like the drinks too? There are a lot of foods that my dog will eat & drink that I wouldn't. Heck, dogs & cats LOVE the taste of anti-freeze, even though it is poisonous. You would think that soda companies would have more sense than to use animals.

Friday June 1, 2007, 3:54 pm
I was wondering the same thing. Glad to hear that they are at least curbing the animal testing. It's a step in the right direction!

Friday June 1, 2007, 4:00 pm
A step in the right direction. Now we need the PHARMACEUTICAL companies to get on board.
They are far and away THE WORST animal testing offenders!

Friday June 1, 2007, 5:30 pm
Wow!! I never knew they tested on animals. Why? To see how much caffine and sugar they can tolerate?

Saturday June 2, 2007, 12:13 am
When the day comes that "man-unkind can live on an equal level with all "species" is the day I can rest, Thank you for bringing this to the attention of people who were ignorant of it previously. Now we can do some work on ending the "where law demands it" subject.

Saturday June 2, 2007, 2:17 am
WELL THEY ARE TREATING THEIR PRODUCT AS LIFE SAVING DRUGS...HUH.THERE IS NO NEED FOR USING POOR ANIMALS FOR MAKING MONEY>I CAN DO WITHOUT COKE AND PEPSI.

Saturday June 2, 2007, 4:43 am
Wonderful,
you would wonderfor what reason a soda company has to test on animals anyway.....

Saturday June 2, 2007, 9:16 am
After reading this article yesterday, I cannot stop thinking about it. Especially the part of the chimp having his/her face sliced opened to see how the nerves were reacting to nutrasweet. Therefore with that final straw I have banned myself from buying/consuming their products & anything doing with nutrasweet.
What I like about CARE2 and all of you, are the info/links that comes my way. Something catches my eye, I read & before making a decision or conclusion I reasearch it. This article made me make a choice...and glad it came my way. Thanks BlackCat

Saturday June 2, 2007, 11:21 am
The sooner they stop testing on animals the sooner they'll get another client/customer until such time occurs no Coke or Pepsi brands (or bottled under the brand name) is allow in my home

Saturday June 2, 2007, 11:24 am
Boycotts are very effective ... hit them in their wallets.

If you don't buy Coke or Pep$i ... they'll ge tthe message, very soon!

Saturday June 2, 2007, 12:11 pm
Curbing the animal testing? Hope about ENDING it! I am thinking I will no doubt have to end my pepsi and coke purchases, I had no idea they were engaged in animal testing. Who would think that they would use innocent animals to test a beverage! It's all good I prefer water anyway, and I am hoping water companies can't test on animals in any way that may hurt them =) Maybe a nice bath or something =)

Saturday June 2, 2007, 1:34 pm
Kimberly, whywould you ever drink a product that is used to clean "acid" off car batteries?

Saturday June 2, 2007, 4:30 pm
I hardly ever drink soda pop of any kind but I'm so glad to hear about this! I wish more companies would stop. I love the bunny pic too. I hope you dont mind that I saved it.
Rabbit R

Saturday June 2, 2007, 7:58 pm
http://www.care2.com/news/member/249683893/390672

Saturday June 2, 2007, 8:14 pm
Now for all the other companies to follow suit and do the compassionate thing! Testing on animals is archaic and unneccessary...

Sunday June 3, 2007, 12:36 am
It's great news that Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have stopped conducting and funding animal testing. Now we need other companies like Unilever to do the same. Everyone needs to boycott their products and send letters/e-mails to the company in protest.

Sunday June 3, 2007, 1:01 am
Okay folks this was in my inbox.

Sunday, May 27th, 2007
Soft Drinks Could Warp DNA

Expert links additive to cell damage

Martin Hickman

A new health scare erupted over soft drinks last night amid evidence they may cause serious cell damage. Research from a British university suggests a common preservative found in drinks such as Fanta and Pepsi Max has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA.

The problem - more usually associated with ageing and alcohol abuse - can eventually lead to cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s.

The findings could have serious consequences for the hundreds of millions of people worldwide who consume fizzy drinks. They will also intensify the controversy about food additives, which have been linked to hyperactivity in children.

Concerns centre on the safety of E211, known as sodium benzoate, a preservative used for decades by the £74bn global carbonated drinks industry. Sodium benzoate derives from benzoic acid. It occurs naturally in berries, but is used in large quantities to prevent mould in soft drinks such as Sprite, Oasis and Dr Pepper. It is also added to pickles and sauces.

Sodium benzoate has already been the subject of concern about cancer because when mixed with the additive vitamin C in soft drinks, it causes benzene, a carcinogenic substance. A Food Standards Agency survey of benzene in drinks last year found high levels in four brands which were removed from sale.

Now, an expert in ageing at Sheffield University, who has been working on sodium benzoate since publishing a research paper in 1999, has decided to speak out about another danger. Professor Peter Piper, a professor of molecular biology and biotechnology, tested the impact of sodium benzoate on living yeast cells in his laboratory. What he found alarmed him: the benzoate was damaging an important area of DNA in the “power station” of cells known as the mitochondria.

He told The Independent on Sunday: “These chemicals have the ability to cause severe damage to DNA in the mitochondria to the point that they totally inactivate it: they knock it out altogether.

“The mitochondria consumes the oxygen to give you energy and if you damage it - as happens in a number if diseased states - then the cell starts to malfunction very seriously. And there is a whole array of diseases that are now being tied to damage to this DNA - Parkinson’s and quite a lot of neuro-degenerative diseases, but above all the whole process of ageing.”

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) backs the use of sodium benzoate in the UK and it has been approved by the European Union but last night, MPs called for it to investigate urgently.

Norman Baker, the Liberal Democrat chair of Parliament’s all-party environment group said: “Many additives are relatively new and their long-term impact cannot be certain. This preservative clearly needs to be investigated further by the FSA.”

A review of sodium benzoate by the World Health Organisation in 2000 concluded that it was safe, but it noted that the available science supporting its safety was “limited”.

Professor Piper, whose work has been funded by a government research council, said tests conducted by the US Food and Drug Administration were out of date.

“The food industry will say these compounds have been tested and they are complete safe,” he said. “By the criteria of modern safety testing, the safety tests were inadequate. Like all things, safety testing moves forward and you can conduct a much more rigorous safety test than you could 50 years ago.”

He advised parents to think carefully about buying drinks with preservatives until the quantities in products were proved safe by new tests. “My concern is for children who are drinking large amounts,” he said.

Coca-Cola and Britvic’s Pepsi Max and Diet Pepsi all contain sodium benzoate. Their makers and the British Soft Drinks Association said they entrusted the safety of additives to the Government.

Sunday June 3, 2007, 1:58 am
Very good new...because i like coca-cola:)

Sunday June 3, 2007, 8:11 am
Definitely makes it so you want to select these two brands when buying soft drinks.

Sunday June 3, 2007, 8:13 am
How can anyone test innocent animals? I am very careful of what I eat and drink (no meat, no colas, no artificial colors), but what about all the people who just don't care?

Sunday June 3, 2007, 12:19 pm
ok.. so I already knew that soda was bad for me... but they are testing on animals, to see if it has health benefits? ok, now thats just screwy... oh yeah... a rat or chimp is gonna like soda, if you get him addicted to the caffiene, sugar, and multiple other things that hook you on soda...

Monday June 4, 2007, 1:20 am
I couldn't believe this when I read it...As I read earlier how does an animal know a human taste bud and the taste test difference.
My gosh that is absurd and it has to stop or we start a campaign to stop drinking and purchasing thses products. Simple as that...

Wednesday June 6, 2007, 4:39 am
i really need to educate myself on animal testing. i drink pepsi and had no idea animals were harmed for it.