In April, PepsiCo settled an enforcement action that had been brought by both the California & Los Angeles City Attorney Generals regarding Proposition 65 allegations of exposure to lead from decorated refillable Pepsi bottles produced in Mexico. On May 15, the Attorney General sued Coca-Cola over similar allegations related to bottles from Mexico. As part of the Pepsi settlement, the firm agreed to immediately switch to unleaded labels for new refillable bottles produced for products from Mexico & to eliminate all decoration in the lip/rim area. Pepsi agreed to eliminate cadmium from the refillables in 3 years. The agreement also refers to PepsiCo efforts to develop a polymer coating process that would encapsulate lead/cadmium in refillable bottle decorations in Mexico. Coca-Cola face similar allegations. More information is available from: andyb@sgcd.org
