New Delhi: Government on August 21 gave a clean chit to 12 soft drink brands, saying that their samples tested were "well within the safety limits" prescribed for packaged drinking water at present.

Making a statement in Lok Sabha, Health and Family Welfare Minister Sushma Swaraj said, "The results clearly show that all the 12 samples do not have pesticide residues of the high order as was alleged in a report by the Centre for Science and Environment, a Delhi-based NGO."

Despite the fact that the existing standards of safety are met by the soft drink manufacturers, government is considering to introduce European Union (EU) norms for water content in soft drinks, she said.

PTI