Tamil Nadu traders to ban colas

​Chennai: Soon Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Kinley and other soft drinks and mineral water brands owned by multinational companies will not be available in the markets of Tamil Nadu.

In a move to encourage and promote Indian brands, traders of Tamil Nadu will stop selling beverages of foreign brands from March 1.

According to a report in The Hindu, the month of February will be utilised for educating the traders and the consumers about harmful effects of consuming soft drinks.

Confirming the same, Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangangalin Peramaipu president A.M. Vikramaraja was quoted as saying that “They cause more harm than good to the body.

Only recently, one of the brands had admitted to the fact that it was not suitable for children and that it contained certain harmful chemicals.”

This traders’ association has approximately 6,000 affiliated member association and about 15.87 lakh members.

The president stated that since 1998, the association is fighting against the PepsiCo and Kinley but due to consumers’ demand they have failed to stop the selling of these beverages.

However, during the recent protest against Jallikatu, some youngsters also demanded a ban on soft drinks that gave a new lease of life to this traders’ initiative.

Apart from stopping the sale of Coca-Cola, Pepsi and likes on stores, the association will also ask the restaurants and hotels to stop the sale of these beverages.

The same report also mentioned that Tamil Nadu Milk Dealer Employees Welfare Association will stop selling milk produced by one particular multinational company.

The recent protest against Jallikattu also witnessed an uprising against PETA, the US-based organisation, that opposing the holding of this bull taming sport.

This popular sentiment among the protesters further implicated the MNCs, and the recent developments can be seen as an extension of that sentiment.