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   Do you drink Coca-Cola ?

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Topic: Do you drink Coca-Cola ? (Read 181 times)

Sheisback
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Do you drink Coca-Cola ?
« on: Jul 3^rd, 2004, 11:11am »

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Okay this is not new, but it is new to me. I am not an environmentalist/activist at all, in fact, I am starting to think that I dont care enough about environment.

Last week, at school, we were presented with a long term project. We had to do a research on Coca-Cola in India.
Shocked

The things I have discovered made me want to stop buying all of their products.
A brief summary:

Coca-Cola has a plant in the Kerala region, India. It has opened in 1998. Since then, the population of the surrounding area has encoutered many kinds of health problems, plus their water has become spoiled. The rice they prepare with it do not cook, but becomes hard. The food prepared with that water spoils in no time.

They have complained about oily greasy feelings on their skin and hair after washing with that water.
People working on the plant (mostly women) arent provided with any protective gear when its time to get rid of the sludge produced from cleaning the cans. They have developped severe skin rashes, dark pigmentations on their forearms and feet.

The smell coming out of the factory, especially at night, ressembles the smell of a putrid dead body, causing violent stomach sickness to pregnant women, old people and children.

Analysis shows that in the soft drink produced there, there is a high concentration of pesticides and other chemicals that are not found in the same products in other countries.

The toxic sludge that is produced from the cans cleaning is dumpded on farmland and the farmers are told it is a fertilizer. Oddly, these farmers have developped severe skins conditions also.

Regardeless, the state of India have given Coca-Cola many environment prizes in 2002 and 2003, one of them is the highest they have ever given to a company, the Special Citation from the Delhi Government for implementing rainwater harvesting and solid waste management.

The environmentalist there claims that Coca-Cola is sucking up over 1.5 millions of litres of free water everyday, that they either bottle or transform into soft drinks. Coca-Cola claims they are ONLY taking 0.5 millions litres per day. Before Coca-Cola's arival in Kerala, people in the area could pump their water wells 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Now, after6-7 hours of pumping, the well goes dry. Even though Coca-Cola had promised they would create 3 new water wells for the population, so far, only one has been created, but the population cannot use it, due to its poor water.

If you are interested in reading more about that, here are some links.

http://www.myenjoyzone.com/press1/awards.htm

http://www.pbs.org/now/transcript/transcript_shiva.html

http://www.pbs.org/now/transcript/transcript_cocacolaletter.html

There are many more links, if you Google up Coca-Cola India, you wil have readings to do for days.

I noticed that in some document, Pepsi's name was mentioned also. Apparently, they arent any better. Now, what kind of soft drink am I going to drink Huh

« Last Edit: Jul 3^rd, 2004, 11:12am by Sheisback »

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kabi958
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Re: Do you drink Coca-Cola ?
« Reply #1 on: Jul 3^rd, 2004, 11:15am »

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wow thats horrible of the coke company...kabi

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JP
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Re: Do you drink Coca-Cola ?
« Reply #2 on: Jul 3^rd, 2004, 12:54pm »

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Well let's just hope that their Cokes and Pepsi's don't reach our countries (I think we don't import colas here, not so sure). No offense to Indian people of course.

« Last Edit: Jul 3^rd, 2004, 12:56pm by JP »

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Rhune
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Re: Do you drink Coca-Cola ?
« Reply #3 on: Jul 3^rd, 2004, 1:17pm »

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Just to clarify, the problems are specifically in the India plant?

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JP
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Re: Do you drink Coca-Cola ?
« Reply #4 on: Jul 3^rd, 2004, 2:19pm »

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Yes. I think the problem is in India. Although they the Coke company in India has sent a letter to the site: http://www.pbs.org/now/transcript/transcript_cocacolaletter.html

Although I haven't read the letter thoroughly, I didn't see them deny the allegations that they contaminate the water around them.

Here's the letter:

Dear Sir,
This refers to the transcript of the interview with Dr. Vandana Shiva on September 5, 2003, put up on your website www.pbs.org.

Our bottling plant located in the Palakkad district of Kerala does not consume 1.5 million litres of water every day. The actual average daily water requirement is only 0.5 million litres.

The groundwater water shortage in the area is due to less-than-normal rainfall in the area during the last two years and not due to drawing of groundwater by our plant. The government records from the meteorological station located at Meekara Dam, within a five kilometer distance of our plant, show that in the year 2001 the district received only 57. 5 per cent of the average rainfall received during 1998-2000. The figure dropped to just about 43 per cent in 2002.

We have also set up three rainwater harvesting ponds within our plant premises and they can collectively hold 27 million litres of water, equal to nearly two month's water requirement, at any given point in time. Our proactive steps to conserve rainwater and use it to recharge the groundwater reserves has already led to an increase in the levels of groundwater in the area.

The plant does not produce bottled drinking water.

It has the necessary licence from the local village Panchayat (local self-government).

The plant and all associates of the company at Palakkad live and work in close harmony and partnership with communities around.

We request you to correct the wrong information and misleading comments about the Coca-Cola plant in Kerala, which operates in compliance with all the rules and regulations prescribed by the regulatory authorities at all levels - Central, State and Panchayat.

Thanking You

Sincerely

Vikas Kochhar
Coca-Cola India

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Sheisback
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Re: Do you drink Coca-Cola ?
« Reply #5 on: Jul 3^rd, 2004, 2:22pm »

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Yes they deny. I have used that letter in my work, along with Dr Vandana Shiva's interview, as a sort of he said/she said thing.

It is hard to tell who gives the right facts. But in that letter, Coke only denies about the amount of water that they are sucking up. The lack of rainfall is a good explanation in itself.

Although, they are not mentioning all the health problems and the toxic residues in the soft drinks.

Edit: There are several Coke plants in India. The problems seems to all be located in the Kerala area, at the same plant.

« Last Edit: Jul 3^rd, 2004, 2:23pm by Sheisback »

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Rhune
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Re: Do you drink Coca-Cola ?
« Reply #6 on: Jul 3^rd, 2004, 4:30pm »

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Makes you wonder what is going on at this plant specifically that is contributing to this though, doesn't it? I mean if they had crappy business practices as a whole there would be complaints all over the place, so what is happening in this place that is different? Management that allows things to happen that shouldn't? An external factor with regards to the pesticides? I'm not saying the Coca-Cola compay isn't responsible for what's happening here, but it strikes me that something is abnormal about it, even for them, and I wonder what that extra factor is.

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sweetmisery
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Re: Do you drink Coca-Cola ?
« Reply #7 on: Jul 4^th, 2004, 2:44pm »

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Sabotage? Bad vibrations of the place? Could be anything, and depends on who you ask...

Anyways, drink Pepsi! Since my parents (and me partly) are working for Pepsi! Wink

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david
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Re: Do you drink Coca-Cola ?
« Reply #8 on: Jul 4^th, 2004, 3:17pm »

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I drink tea myself and although unrelated i am sure I have always gotten hearburn from Coke especially can coke that I dont get from other soft drinks

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Addams
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Re: Do you drink Coca-Cola ?
« Reply #9 on: Jul 5^th, 2004, 10:34am »

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I have heard a bit about this issue before. I would expect a better reply from coca cola

thank you for mentioning this and bringing it to my attention

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AoM
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Re: Do you drink Coca-Cola ?
« Reply #10 on: Jul 6^th, 2004, 8:42pm »

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Wow, thats something i didn't expect to read....hopefully those people will the opportunity for some legal action

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azure
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Re: Do you drink Coca-Cola ?
« Reply #11 on: Jul 7^th, 2004, 9:11am »

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thanks for sharing this SIB

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shamon
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Re: Do you drink Coca-Cola ?
« Reply #12 on: Jul 7^th, 2004, 10:32am »

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mind you people that is India..... US FDA is very strict on food companies in the United States forcing them to comply with Good manufacturing practices....

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Sheisback
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Re: Do you drink Coca-Cola ?
« Reply #13 on: Jul 9^th, 2004, 10:12am »

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Totally agree Shamon, that is in India.

Does that make it more acceptable?

Big companies behave in America and can misbehave in other countries?

Double standards seems to be more and more frequent in big companies.

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