Action against Soft Drinks Companies for Toxic Contents in their products

Samples of food items are picked up for testing and analysis by the State/UT Food Safety Departments from time to time. Separate data about samples of soft drinks having been tested/found not conforming to specified standards, has not been compiled centrally. A study was conducted by the All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health (AIIP&PH) and the National Test House (NTH), Kolkata, in which  AIIH&PH collected 4 bottles each of the cold drink brands (Sprite, Coca Cola, Mountain dew, Pepsi and 7 UP) and tested for heavy metals antimony, lead, chromium and cadmium and DEHP. The study takes bottled (packaged) water as the reference point. Since a number of other substances are added while making soft drinks, its composition will be different from packaged drinking water. The details of the findings of the study are given below:

Table: 1 Heavy metals and DEHP concentrations in Sprite (soft drink)

Item description: sample of Sprite (soft drink) in bottle (4x600 ml), Batch No. /LOT No. 2926
Test Description (National Test House)	Certificate No.				Date of issue		Code No.
	NTH(ER)/CH(S)/2016/0029E				08/03/2016		1454064260750
Storage Parameters		Toxic Substance (mg/l)
		Antimony	Lead	Cadmium		chromium		DEHP
Sample in Bottle as received by the Lab.		0.015	0.007	0.003		0.015		0.016
40 deg C for 10 days.		0.019	0.009	0.006		0.016		0.019
60 deg C for 10 days		0.020	0.009	0.008		0.022		0.021
Permissible Limit		NA	NA	NA		NA		NA
Remarks Safety limits available for bottled water		0.005	0.010	0.003		0.050		0.006
Reference standards		(BIS(IS 13428:2005,    IS 14543: 2004)1	(BIS(IS 13428:2005,    IS 14543: 2004)1	(BIS(IS 13428:2005,    IS 14543: 2004)1		(BIS(IS 13428:2005,    IS 14543: 2004)1		US-EPA(2)

                             Table: 2 Heavy metals and DEHP concentrations in Mountain Dew (soft drink):

Item description: sample of Mountain Dew received in 4 nos (600ml)  bottles  having Batches No./Lot No. BN5255C30J15
Test Description (National Test House)	Certificate no.				Date of Issue		Code No.
	NTH(ER)/CH(S)/2016/0029C				08/03/2016		1454064260750
Storage Parameters		Toxic Substance (mg/L)
		Antimony	Lead	Cadmium		chromium		DEHP
Sample in Bottle as received by the Lab.		0.012	0.006	0.016		0.017		0.014
40 deg C for 10 days.		0.018	0.007	0.019		0.017		0.016
60 deg C for 10 days		0.021	0.009	0.020		0.018		0.018
Permissible Limit		NA	NA	NA		NA		NA
Remarks Safety limits available for bottled water		0.005	0.010	0.003		0.050		0.006
Reference standards		(BIS(IS 13428:2005,    IS 14543: 2004)1	(BIS(IS 13428:2005,    IS 14543: 2004)1	(BIS(IS 13428:2005,    IS 14543: 2004)1		(BIS(IS 13428:2005,    IS 14543: 2004)1		US-EPA(2)

Table: 3 Heavy metals and DEHP concentrations in Pepsi (soft drink):

Item description: sample of Pepsi (soft drink): received in bottle (4x600 ml), having Batch No./Lot No.5255C06J15
Test Description (National Test House)	Certificate no.				Date of Issue		Code No.
	NTH(ER)/CH(S)/2016/0029A				08/03/2016		1454064260750
Storage Parameters		Toxic Substance (mg/L)
		Antimony	Lead	Cadmium		chromium		DEHP
Sample in Bottle as received by the Lab.		0.029	0.011	0.002		0.017		0.028
40 deg C for 10 days.		0.032	0.012	0.006		0.019		0.033
60 deg C for 10 days		0.043	0.012	0.008		0.019		0.036
Permissible Limit		NA	NA	NA		NA		NA
Remarks Safety limits available for bottled water		0.005	0.010	0.003		0.050		0.006
Reference standards		(BIS(IS 13428:2005,    IS 14543: 2004)1	(BIS(IS 13428:2005,    IS 14543: 2004)1	(BIS(IS 13428:2005,    IS 14543: 2004)1		(BIS(IS 13428:2005,    IS 14543: 2004)1		US-EPA(2)

Table: 4 Heavy metals and DEHP concentrations in 7 UP (soft drink):

Item description: sample of 7 UP(soft drink): received in bottle (600 ml), having Batch /Lot No.BN5255C23115
Test Description (National Test House)	Certificate no.				Date of Issue		Code No.
	NTH(ER)/CH(S)/2016/0029B				08/03/2016		1454064260750
Storage Parameters		Toxic Substance (mg/L)
		Antimony	Lead	Cadmium		chromium		DEHP
Sample in Bottle as received by the Lab.		0.011	0.004	0.012		0.017		0.018
40 deg C for 10 days.		0.011	0.006	0.018		0.022		0.020
60 deg C for 10 days		0.023	0.006	0.020		0.022		0.020
Permissible Limit		NA	NA	NA		NA		NA
Remarks Safety limits available for bottled water		0.005	0.010	0.003		0.050		0.006
Reference standards		(BIS(IS 13428:2005,    IS 14543: 2004)1	(BIS(IS 13428:2005,    IS 14543: 2004)1	(BIS(IS 13428:2005,    IS 14543: 2004)1		(BIS(IS 13428:2005,    IS 14543: 2004)1		US-EPA(2)

                            Table: 5 Heavy metals and DEHP concentrations in Coca Cola (soft drink):

Item description: sample of Coca Cola(soft drink): received in bottle  (600 ml) having Batch /Lot No.1263 (3 Bottles) & B.No. 1258 (1 Bottle)
Test Description (National Test House)	Certificate no.				Date of Issue		Code No.
	NTH(ER)/CH(S)/2016/0029D				08/03/2016		1454064260750
Storage Parameters		Toxic Substance (mg/L)
		Antimony	Lead	Cadmium		chromium		DEHP
Sample in Bottle as received by the Lab.		0.006	0.009	0.011		0.026		0.026
40 deg C for 10 days.		0.014	0.011	0.013		0.032		0.028
60 deg C for 10 days		0.019	0.012	0.013		0.033		0.034
Permissible Limit		NA	NA	NA		NA		NA
Remarks Safety limits available for bottled water		0.005	0.010	0.003		0.050		0.006
Reference standards		(BIS(IS 13428:2005,    IS 14543: 2004)1	(BIS(IS 13428:2005,    IS 14543: 2004)1	(BIS(IS 13428:2005,    IS 14543: 2004)1		(BIS(IS 13428:2005,    IS 14543: 2004)1		US-EPA(2)

1.         Bureau of Indian standards: Indian Standard Packaged natural mineral water specification (second revision) first reprint December 2006, Ics 13.060.20,c bls 200s Bureau of Indian Standards, Manak bhavan, 9 Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi 110002 is 13428: 2005

2.         United States Environmental Protection Agency 2009, national Primary Drinking Water Regulations EPA 816-F-09-004 May 2009.

The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Sh Faggan Singh Kulaste stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha here today.

Russia banned from London World Championships - IAAF

Cap-d'Ail (France), Feb 7 (AFP) Russia will miss August's World Athletics Championships in London after their doping ban was extended, world governing body president Sebastien Coe said.

Coe said Russia, whose 15-month ban from athletics was prolonged at the IAAF's Council meeting in Cap d'Ail near Monaco, could not be reintegrated into the sport before November.

Double Olympic 1500-metre champion Coe was speaking after the IAAF Council approved the Taskforce's recommendation that Russia was "not ready for reinstatement".

Russia has been barred from international competition since November 2015 following a damaging report alleging that state-sponsored doping was rife in the country.

The ban had already been extended in March and then June 2016, preventing Russia's athletes from competing at the Rio Olympics.

The Taskforce, which was set up to oversees Russia's reintegration into international athletics, produced recommendations detailing a roadmap to reinstatement.

But while "acknowledging several positive developments" at recent meetings in Moscow with RusAF, the Russian Athletics Federation, and new Russian Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov, the Taskforce also "pointed to some negative developments" including "unhelpful public comments recently made by some Russian sporting officials".

It said that RusAF "continues to face practical and legal difficulties in enforcing provisional doping bans and there continues to be very limited testing of Russian track and field athletes at the national level as well as troubling incidents at what testing is taking place".

The roadmap to reinstatement specifies that "testing of Russian athletes must take place without further incidents or difficulties" and that RusAF takes "demonstrable objective and practical steps to cultivate the clean sport movement".

Rate hopes fuel Budget rally, Sensex hits 4-month high

Mumbai, Feb 6 (PTI) The Budget-induced optimism got a leg to stand on as the Sensex today pushed higher for the fourth day by scoring 199 points to close at 28,439 -- a 4-month high -- after hopes built up that RBI might go in for a rate cut at the Wednesday's policy meet.

The NSE Nifty retook the crucial 8,800-mark today.

At its last policy review in December, RBI in a surprise move had decided to leave rates unchanged, but this time a lower retail inflation and fiscal discipline as shown in the Budget have prompted calls for RBI to remain accommodative.

Global leads aligned as most Asian shares ended higher, tracking weekend gains in the US on better-than-expected jump in US jobs and a move by President Donald Trump to cut back financial regulations, accelerating buying pace by investors.

The 30-share Sensex ended up 198.76 points, or 0.70 per cent at 28,439.28, its highest closing since September 23 last year when it had closed at 28,668.22. Intra-day, it sprang to a high of 28,487.28.

The gauge had rallied 584.56 points in the previous three sessions after the presentation of the Budget on February 1.

The NSE Nifty regained control of the 8,800-mark and added 60.10 points, or 0.69 per cent, at 8,801.05 at the close. On September 23, the index finished at 8,831.55.

"Markets continued to be buoyant on the expectation of rate cut by RBI and positive global cues. We are seeing continuation of rally in the rate sensitive sectors led by reality, banks and FMCG which were also supported by Budget related sops," said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services.

Major European indices stayed in the positive zone, too.

Data showed that foreign institutional investors bought shares worth Rs 353.84 crore last Friday, adding to the level of optimism.

The rupee appreciated for the 9th straight day to trade at a fresh 2-1/2 month high of 67.14 (intra-day) against the dollar, keeping the overall mood upbeat.

A good 22 stocks in the 30-share Sensex pack advanced while 8 turned lower.

Sun Pharma led the charge by surging 4.20 per cent while ICICI Bank zoomed 3.18 per cent.

Adani Ports, Axis Bank, Hero MotoCorp, ITC Ltd, HUL, GAIL, NTPC, Asian Paints, Wipro, RIL, Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki and L&T supported the ongoing bull run.

BSE realty jumped the most (up 1.90 per cent) followed by FMCG (1.28 per cent), healthcare (1.27 per cent) and consumer durables (1.27 per cent).

Broader markets remained in the green too, with the mid-cap index advancing 1.10 per cent and small-cap 0.88 per cent.

Realty stocks continued their upward journey, buoyed by the infrastructure status to affordable housing in the Budget 2017-18 to encourage investment in the segment, which offered tax sops to developers to complete unsold inventories.

In the realty space, HDIL soared 7.80 per cent, Godrej Properties surged 3.32 per cent, Prestige Estates Projects 2.83 per cent and DLF 1.32 per cent.

Asian shares, led by Hong Kong, closed higher.

In Europe, London's FTSE was up 0.23 per cent and Paris CAC 40 0.14 per cent while Frankfurt edged down 0.14 per cent.

SC to give verdict in one week in Jaya DA case

New Delhi, Feb 6 (PTI) In a verdict that can have implications for Sasikala, who is set to take over as chief minister, the Supreme Court today indicated it could give its judgement on the appeals challenging the acquittal of late Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalithaa in a disproportionate assets case, also involving her.

A bench headed by Justice P C Ghose asked senior advocate Dushyant Dave representing Karnataka to wait for one week after he made a mention before it regarding the delay in pronouncement of the verdict.

Dave said that they have been waiting for the judgement for quite some time and requested the bench to pronounce it soon.

The apex court had last year, before the demise of Jayalalithaa, reserved its verdict on a batch of petitions challenging the order of her acquittal of the Karnataka High Court.

Sasikala, a shadow of Jayalalithaa for nearly three decades, is set to become the chief Minister of Tamil Nadu as the AIADMK Legislature Party yesterday elected her as its leader, over a month after she became the party's powerful General Secretary.

In case the Supreme Court upholds the lower court order convicting Sasikala and others, she may have to step down from the post she is likely to take oveR.

Sasikala elected leader by AIADMK MLAs, set to be CM

Chennai, Feb 5 (PTI) V K Sasikala, shadow of Jayalalithaa for nearly three decades, was today set to become the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu as the AIADMK Legislature Party elected her as its leader, over a month after she became the party's powerful General Secretary.

She is expected to be sworn-in as the third Chief Minister of the state within two months on Tuesday.

The name of 62-year-old Sasikala as AIADMK Legislature Party leader was proposed by Chief Minister O Panneerselvam at a meeting of party MLAs at the party headquarters here.

The MLAs unanimously elected her as their leader, enabling her to take over the reins from Panneerselvam.

Soon after, 'Chinnamma' Sasikala drove to the party headquarters where she was greeted by Panneerselvam and senior party leaders.

Prior to the party meeting on a day of fast-pased developments, Panneerselvam visited the Poes Garden Residence to meet Sasikala.

"It was Panneerselvam who had first persuaded me to become the Chief Minister and General Secretary as well when Jayalalithaa passed away," Sasikala told party legislators in her acceptance speech.

She said the development has come "shattering the expectation of our political opponents that there will be a split in the party after the demise of our Amma (Jayalalithaa)."

Sasikala had a special word of praise for the Panneerselvam, stating "whenever the party faced tough times and whenever there were difficulties in Amma becoming the Chief Minister, it was our dear brother Panneerselvam who has been loyal."

Sasikala said the AIADMK would strive for the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu.

With her elevation, which comes over a month after she took charge as AIADMK General Secretary on December 31, Sasikala carries on the legacy of Jayalalithaa, who also held the two posts allowing her to wield complete control on the government and the party. .

Punjab, Goa vote heavily in assembly polls

Chandigarh/Panaji, Feb 3 (PTI) Punjab and Goa on Saturday voted heavily with an estimated 70 per cent and a record-breaking 83 per cent turnout as the first round of assembly elections in five states concluded by and large peacefully, Election Commission said

Traditional rivals BJP and Congress are locked in a keen electoral battle in the two states where Arvind Kejriwal's AAP has made its maiden foray in the assembly elections, seeking to play a killjoy for the two major contenders for power

It is the first outing for Aam Aadmi Party in assembly elections outside Delhi where it rules with an overwhelming majority in the state assembly and all eyes will be on it to see if it can upset the applicart of the two major national parties

BJP is in government in Punjab in alliance with Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) for two successive terms, while it also helms Goa, despite ally Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party having drifted away just after the announcement of elections to form a three-party combine

The elections to Punjab and Goa, which will be followed by those in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur, beginning later this month and spilling over to March, are being billed as a major test of BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity post-demonetisation

Barring minor skirmishes and technical glitches in EVMs and Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) machines which delayed voting for some time, polling passed off peacefully in Punjab where nearly 79 per cent electors had cast their votes in the 2012 polls

In Punjab, where SAD-BJP alliance has been in power for the past decade, today's polling will decide the fate of a number of political bigwigs, including 89-year-old Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, seeking a sixth term in office, his old political rival and Congress' CM face Amarinder Singh, who has declared it will be his last election, and Badal's son and deputy Sukhbir

Badar Sr. is locked in a keen battle with Amarinder for the Lambi seat, the pocket borough of the Badals. Amarinder, the scion of Patiala royal family, is also in the fray from his home town where ready to give him a run for his money is the former army chief J J Singh of SAD

Stand up comedian and AAP MP from Sangrur, Bhagwant Mann, who is a probable candidate for chief ministership if the party wins the election, is crossing swords with Sukhbir in Jalalabad. Navjot Singh Sidhu, the voluble cricketer-turned- politician, who quit BJP to join Congress just ahead of the polls, is trying his luck from Amritsar East seat, part of his former parliamentary constituency Amritsar

The other prominent candidates include Congress veteran and former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal (Lehragagga), Indian Youth Congress Chief Raja Amarinder Singh Warring (Gidderbaha), Badal's estranged nephew Manpreet Singh Badal on Congress ticket (Bathinda Urban)

Goa registered a record 83 per cent voter turnout with no incidents of violence and very little technical problem reported in the EVMs and VVPAT machines. In the 2012 assembly elections, Goa had recorded an impressive 81.8 per cent voting

Goa, where chief ministership has been as fickle as the loyalties of its political leaders, today's vote will decide the fate among others of five former CM's, besides incumbent Laxmikant Parsekar

While Ravi Naik, Digambar Kamat, Pratapsinh Rane and Luizinho Faleiro are in the fray as Congress nominees, Churchill Alemao is contesting on NCP ticket. The electoral fate of AAP's chief ministerial face Elvis Gomes, a former bureaucrat, will also be decided.

Hope to take GST legislations to Parliament this session: FM

New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) Keen to rollout the Goods and Services Tax by July, the government plans to take the supporting legislations to Parliament next month, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said today.

While the all-powerful GST Council has already decided on a four-slab tax structure for the indirect tax regime, the levy for different goods and services will be decided by May or June.

Jaitley said he hopes to get Central GST (CGST) and Integrated GST (IGST) draft legislations approved at the next GST Council meeting on February 18 and bring them in the second half of ongoing Budget Session. It will reconvene on March 9 after a month long break and continue till April 12.

"Now the main policy issues (with regard to CGST and IGST) over 9 meetings have been put to rest. Final drafts are now being prepared and once they are circulated with the legally vetted language, those drafts will have to then go to Parliament and state legislature (for SGST) for approval.

"We will meet on 18th of this month. Hopefully, my target currently is to finalise those drafts and take them in the second part of the budget session in Parliament," Jaitley said at a post-Budget meet with industry chambers.

While the CGST will subsume central taxes of excise, central sales tax and service tax, IGST is to be charged on movement of goods and services from one state to another.

States will also have to pass SGST or State Goods and Service Tax. Also, a GST Compensation Act needs to be approved by Parliament to provide for compensation to states that lose revenue from implementation of GST in first five years.

"One parallel exercise is fitment of various commodities in to the rate structure for that the officer have to meet," Jaitley said.

The GST Council has fixed the four-tier structure of 5 per cent, 12 per cent, 18 per cent and 28 percent.

Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia said a good or service will be put in a slab which is closest to the current rate at taxes.

"As far as fitment of rate is concerned there are four slabs. The present incidence of VAT plus excise duty, or VAT plus service tax it whatever is the incidence, the slab closer to that is the slab where it will fall," he said.

Also, there will be few items of exception which will go to the GST Council for discussion, he said. "We hope to complete the process of final rules and laws by 31st of March, rates can be decided even in the month of May or June.

US slaps new sanctions on Iranian entities after missile test

Washington, Feb 3 (PTI) The US today slapped more than two dozen Iranian entities with sanctions, two days after the Islamic republic dismissed President Donald Trump's warnings over its latest missile test as baseless and provocative.

The announcement also comes a day after Trump put Iran "on notice" for its alleged destabilising behaviour and carrying out ballistic missile test in violation of the UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which calls on Tehran not to test missiles capable of delivering a nuclear weapon.

The ballistic missile launch was the first by Iran since Trump became president.

According to reports, Iran's missile test occurred at a well-known site outside Semnan, about 225 km east of Tehran.

The Khorramshahr medium-range ballistic missile flew 600 miles before exploding.

In a statement, the Treasury Department said the multiple entities and individuals slapped with sanctions were involved in procuring technology and materials to support Iran's ballistic missile programme, as well as for acting for or on behalf of, or providing support to, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF).

"This action reflects the United States' commitment to enforcing sanctions on Iran with respect to its ballistic missile program and destabilising activities in the region and is fully consistent with the United States' commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)," the Treasury said.

"Iran's continued support for terrorism and development of its ballistic missile program poses a threat to the region, to our partners worldwide, and to the United States," said John E Smith, Acting Director at the Department of Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

"Today's action is part of Treasury's ongoing efforts to counter Iranian malign activity abroad that is outside the scope of the JCPOA," he added.

The Treasury said OFAC designated several networks and supporters of Iran's ballistic missile procurement, including a critical Iranian procurement agent and eight individuals and entities in his Iran - and China-based network, an Iranian procurement company and its Gulf-based network, and five individuals and entities that are part of an Iran-based procurement network connected to Mabrooka Trading, which was designated on January 17 last year.

It also designated a key IRGC-QF-run support network working with Hizballah, including IRGC-QF official Hasan Deghan Ebrahimi, his associates Muhammad Abd-al-Amir Farhat and Yahya al-Hajj, and several affiliated companies in Lebanon.

Iran has previously warned that new US sanctions could constitute a violation of the nuclear deal, setting up a scenario in which the agreement could unravel something that hardliners in both countries would welcome.

The row comes against a backdrop of already strained ties between Washington and Tehran over Trump's travel ban on citizens from Iran and six other Muslim-majority countries.