on january19, 2005 the soft drink industry delayed, yet again, the implementation of a recent judgement of the Rajasthan high court ordering them to disclose all ingredients, including pesticides content, on the labels of their products (see: Too crooked [2]). The move raised a lot of eyebrows. And the following question: why are soft drink companies shying away?

The Rajasthan high court order was, in spirit, based on the principle of right to information: consumers had every right to know what there was in the product. They had the right to be told whether it contained any pesticides or other chemicals, so that they could make an informed choice. In delaying implementation, soft drink manufacturers are going precisely against this principle. Is it possible they have something to hide? The soft drink market is today dominated by two companies, Coca-cola and PespiCo. Both, in their statements and ads, maintain their products are