The country of India, says PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE:PEP) and The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO), has not been playing fair. An environmental group claimed that the soda giants' Indian bottling plants were turning out beverages stocked with lots of toxic chemicals, in addition to the usual corn syrupy goodness. These claims resulted in Pepsi and Coke bans in many Indian states.
Not cool, said the U.S. government in a letter to India's leaders. The letter from Undersecretary for International Trade Franklin Lavin expressed "confidence the government of India will deal with the companies on a level playing field," according to an embassy spokesman.
Immediately my mind frolics in the fertile meadows of sports metaphor land, but I end up with "turnabout's fair play." U.S. beverage companies are often blamed for operating in a rarefied stratosphere of subsidized ingredients (hello high fructose corn syrup) and trade officials more than happy to stand up for the soda playground bullies. Some reports indicate that Coke and Pepsi make up well over 80% of the Indian market -- so much for victimization.
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