Star30 Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 :clock: Last Summer I read several articles alleging the same thing: Coke products containing pesticides Popular Soda Pops Now Being Used as Pesticides I could not find the same article, but the above website discusses the use of coke products as pesticides. My first thoughts are that with all the sugar it seems the solution would attract insects. YES? NO?What do you think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeztar Posted June 21, 2007 Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 :clock: Last Summer I read several articles alleging the same thing: Coke products containing pesticides Popular Soda Pops Now Being Used as Pesticides I could not find the same article, but the above website discusses the use of coke products as pesticides. My first thoughts are that with all the sugar it seems the solution would attract insects. YES? NO?What do you think? I think the last paragraph in your link tells all. It is a quote from Coca-cola HQ, here in ATL. "Soft drinks do not act in a similar way to pesticides when applied to the ground or crops. There is no scientific basis for this and the use of soft drinks for this purpose would be totally ineffective" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star30 Posted June 21, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 21, 2007 Right. I would hope something I drink would not contain pesticides. How do you explain the allegations and what is the driving force? Is this allegation the real reason for filing with the court to obtain the recipe for the popular Coke and Pepsi drinks? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maikeru Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 You could say so in a certain way. Rather, the case is that a lot of popular beverages like coffee, cocoa, tea, or many sodas (including Coca-Cola and Pepsi) often contain one or more members of the family of chemicals known as methylxanthines: Xanthine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaCaffeine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Methylxanthines like caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline have weak stimulant effects in humans, but are chemical defenses that many plants use to fight insects and other herbivores. If they cannot detoxify these chemicals, their nervous systems and hormones to go out of whack and may kill them. Or if not, at least the toxins may serve to deter further attempts. If you sprayed Coca-Cola on crops, it's possible the high amounts of caffeine in the drink could kill or discourage insect pests. I haven't done any testing, but I have heard that even small amounts of caffeine can kill earthworms, slugs, and aphids. For example, feeding spent coffee grounds to earthworms, if one is trying to create "worm poop" for organic gardening, isn't recommended because of the low levels of caffeine still in the grounds. And if ants are attracted by the fructose in the drinks, that's another benefit to help squelch the surviving pests. BTW, I want to note that humans are exceptionally good at detoxifying methylxanthines in our livers and that other animals like dogs and horses are not. In humans, caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline, in low to moderate doses, seem to have many beneficial health effects. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeztar Posted June 22, 2007 Report Share Posted June 22, 2007 Right. I would hope something I drink would not contain pesticides. I'm not saying that it couldn't be an insectiside, but rather that it is not ideal for that task. How do you explain the allegations and what is the driving force? Let's examine this a bit. The link is from Organic Consumers Association. I'll preface my argument by proclaiming that I have a soft spot for organic food (and gmo-free food). I love the concept and practice it when I can (even if it just entails supporting the local growers). This information is suspect on many levels: 1: "Preventive Psychiatry E-Newsletter # 189" Psychiatry... 2: "Other farmers in Andra Pradesh state accused the company ofover-extracting underground water for its bottling plants and agovernment committee upheld findings that drinks made in India by itselfand PepsiCo contained unacceptable amounts of pesticide residue." This would infuriate me, if some kind of supportive evidence was presented. :applause: Uncorroborated reports from China claimed that the ill-fated New Cokewas widely used in China as a spermicide. :cocktail: Is this allegation the real reason for filing with the court to obtain the recipe for the popular Coke and Pepsi drinks? What the Helen of Troy are you talking about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star30 Posted June 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2007 What the Helen of Troy are you talking about? India demands Coke and Pepsi recipes Independent on Sunday, The - Find Articles Coke and Pepsi told to spill secrets or face ban-News-World-Asia-TimesOnline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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