5/03/2006 - Bad Luck for Soft Drinks Firms
4/17/2006 - Law Suits Filed Over Benzene in Soft Drinks
4/13/2006 - Soft Drinks - Benzene Risks Heat Up
2/17/2006 - Benzene Contamination In Some USA Soft Drinks
It was a matter of time before lawyers would file a lawsuit against one of America's "Big 3" ...namely PepsiCo in California, alleging one of its drinks may contain the cancer-causing chemical benzene. It's happened, according to BeverageDaily
The class action suit, launched against the Pepsi Twist drink, marks the first time one of America's 'big three' soft drinks firms has been drawn into a legal battle over recent concern about benzene in drinks.
"Pepsi Twist has been falsely promoted as a safe consumer product, when in fact, it contains the ingredients ascorbic acid and potassium benzoate, which can and do produce the carcinogenic chemical benzene when exposed to heat and light," the lawsuit, filed by lawyers Howard Hewell and Howard Rubinstein, alleges.
If the lawsuit filed against Pepsi does end up in court, then I have a feeling many more details on what took place 15 years ago will emerge -- specifically regarding research that was completed back then, and even more specifically regarding the agreement reached between the FDA and the soft drinks Industry.
In a way, it isn't just the soft drinks industry on trial here. There's also the "public court of opinion" ...and the "trust" they place in their government to protect them.
