From an organization I’ve had some involvement with – Global Exchange. If your’e prone like me to want to stop corporate growth and greed you might find it inspirational.  I’ve read a lot of negative news stories out there lately so it’s good to hear that some changes are finally taking place.
Bambi
August 9, 2006 – Coca Cola and PepsiCo two of the worlds largest transnational corporations, have been banned in the southern Indian state of Kerala! Neither of the two soft drink manufacturers can now produce, distribute or sell their soft-drinks in that state.
Seven other Indian states have also imposed varying degrees of the ban – mostly in and around schools and government offices – and it is expected that other parts of India may follow suit. The Supreme Court of India has given the companies six weeks to disclose the ingredients in their beverages or face a possible national ban.
The reason for the statewide ban in Kerala is dangerous levels of pesticides found in soft drinks produced in India by Coca Cola and PepsiCo. A study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a leading public interest research and advocacy group in India, found that drinks produced by the two companies in that country contained pesticides at levels 24 percent higher than those permitted in Europe.
What is even more disturbing is the fact that the pesticide level problem was made available to Coke and Pepsi as early as 2003. The companies stand accused of knowingly producing and selling contaminated drinks and may have to pay fines and make reparations. In the past Coca Cola has been accused of violence and criminal activities in Colombia and Turkey.
Communities and activists worldwide have welcomed the Kerala ban as a victory in the fight against corporate-led globalization (or as some say, re-colonization) and its destructive consequences on both humans and the environment. Whether it is seeds, crops, water supplies or human labor, the Global South pays heavily for the runaway greed of transnational corporations as they scour the globe in a race to the bottom.
This week global mega-business got a clear message from the Indian state of Kerala – the people and environment of the Global South are not available for you to exploit and destroy as you accumulate obscene levels of profit.
For years, residents and activists in the village of Plachimada (Kerala) and across India have been fighting a battle against soft-drink giant Coca Cola for perilously depleting and polluting water supplies. The Kerala ban may set a groundbreaking precedent in India, and beyond.
But the Kerala ban of Coca Cola and PepsiCo is really much more; it is a testimony to the power of local people to stand up and successfully stop corporate giants from wreaking havoc in their communities.
