The committee was formed after opposition lawmakers protested a government statement that 12 fizzy drinks sold by Coca-Cola and Pepsi met Indian standards and did not pose the health risks claimed by an environmental group.

The committee, which includes opposition members, was approved by a voice vote in the lower house of parliament and will conduct further studies on the soft drinks.

Indian Health Minister Sushma Swaraj told parliament Thursday that the 12 soft drinks were "well within the safety limits" of India but acknowledged that most were not up to higher standards in force in the European Union.

Coca-Cola and Pepsi, which have seen their multimillion-dollar industry in India sag after the environmentalists' claims, hailed Swaraj's statement as proof their soft drinks were safe.

The country's leading business lobby, the Federation of India Chambers of Commerce and Industry, also praised the decision, saying the government had confirmed that health standards should be set by accredited laboratories.

The Centre for Science and Environment, a private group based in New Delhi, on August 5 stunned consumers and businesses alike when it charged that 12 Coke and Pepsi brands contained a "deadly cocktail of pesticide residues" that could cause cancer and birth defects.

It said the same drinks sold in the United States did not contain the pesticides and accused the companies of not purifying their source water in India.

After the environmentalists' report, the Indian parliament booted Coke and Pepsi from its cafeteria and activists around the country staged protests smashing soft drink bottles.

TERRA.WIRE