New Delhi: Within hours of the Supreme Court dismissing its petition seeking testing of its products by experts as withdrawn, Coca-Cola India on August 13 said a "consistent, professional testing protocol" was necessary to protect the interests of consumers and manufacturers.

"We continue to believe that a consistent, professional testing protocol is necessary if the interests of consumers and the interests of beverage manufacturers are to be jointly served," its vice president (Public Affairs and Communications) Sunil Gupta said.

His statement comes amidst the withdrawal of a petition by Coca-Cola India from the Supreme Court seeking testing of its soft drinks by experts following allegations of high pesticides content by a non- governmental organisation (NGO) Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), after the apex court declined to entertain its plea.

Pointing out that it had approached the Supreme Court to "quickly address the current consumer confusion on this issue", Gupta said, "The Supreme Court did not want to interfere at this early stage, but said we could return later if necessary."

He said the testing by experts was necessary as "consumers need to know that the products they are buying in one part of India are manufactured under the same quality and safety standards that apply in other parts of the country"

"Companies like Coca-Cola need to know that the government standards to which they are committed to honouring are being measured in a consistent and professional manner," he said.

PTI