<p>This report focuses on the actions and responsibilities of four of the world’s biggest plastic polluters: CocaCola, Nestlé, PepsiCo and Unilever. These companies continue to sell billions
A dispute about non-native algae has broken out in India between beverage giant PepsiCo and the Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI), which is based in Bhavnagar, Gujarat. Institute researchers originally imported the alga Kappaphycus alvarezii for research; in 2001 PepsiCo began cultivating it for the food thickener carrageenan in the Gulf of Mannar marine bioreserve, along India's southeastern coast.
on may 6, over 1,000 farmers under the banner
<font class="UCASE">recently,</font> the Indian Medical Association (<font class="UCASE">ima</font>) earned the dubious distinction of being the first association of medical professionals in the world to endorse a food brand. And that too of a company best known for its brands of non-nutritive and unsafe carbonated beverages. Going by the law of the land, this "endorsement' is illegal. The Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954 clearly makes it illegal to label foods as wothy of being recommended by the medical profession.
<font class="UCASE">the </font> Indian Medical Association (<font class="UCASE">ima</font>) will now endorse PepsiCo's Tropicana fruit juices and its breakfast cereal Quaker Oats
Of the many issues that will be discussed at the 61st World Health Assembly in Geneva this month, prevention and control of non-communicable diseases is what the food industry will be following closely. Its future, and growth plan, will depend on the outcome of the deliberations in Geneva.
It's a conflict of interest
The Union health ministry has taken strong objection to Indian Medical Association's move to endorse PepsiCo's Tropicana pure juices and Quaker Oats. Speaking to TOI, Union health minister A Ramadoss said IMA should focus more on irrational use of drugs and blood products rather than endorse Dettol and juices.
The move by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) of endorsing Tropicana juices and Quaker Oats has invited widespread criticism. Calling it an issue of ethics, Sunita Narain of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said, "We are clear that it's completely wrong. In fact it's legally wrong. The Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act clearly says that no medical association can endorse a product. There is an issue of ethics here, doctors' associations all over the world have always been resisting to get into such endorsements. How can Pepsi ask IMA about it."
IN A global first for all PepsiCo markets, Indian doctors will soon begin endorsing the cola giant's Tropicana juice and Quaker Oats. PepsiCo India's snack foods arm Frito-Lay has tied up with the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to promote both products, marking a shift of sorts for a company that is synonymous with celebrity endorsements.
Greenhouse gases have been the big focus of most companies' environmental efforts for several years, with pollution a close second. But another equally pressing environmental issue has received much less attention: water. For most companies in the developed world, water is not much of a problem. Water bills are generally a tiny part of overheads, and unless there is a drought or flood, companies can count on it flowing from the tap.
