Mumbai, March 6: The Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended a ban on sale of soft drinks in schools.

The state government clarified tonight that it is still to take a decision on implementing the ban but speculation that a clampdown is possible provoked a sharp reaction from the soft drinks industry which asserted that it was aware of the concerns of parents and school officials.

Sources in the state education department told PTI that the FDA had proposed a ban in a report last month. “We have sent it to the medical education department,” an official said.

The Indian Soft Drink Manufacturers Association, which includes Coca-Cola and Pepsi, said in a statement that “the industry has always recognised that schools are a very special place. Our industry listens closely to parents and local school officials and ensures that the range of beverages sold in their schools reflects their wishes.”

The joint statement said the industry has not yet received any communication relating to sale of soft drinks in schools in Maharashtra from the state government. “We plan to initiate a dialogue with officials to clarify all their concerns, if any,” it added.

A television channel had quoted education minister Vasant Purke as saying the government would go ahead with the ban following proposals from the FDA which said soft drinks had harmful ingredients.

The channel also reported that the government would start sending copies of the circular within the next seven days. The minister could not be contacted.

If the ban comes through, it will be the first time that soft drinks will be abolished from Indian school premises through a government order. Some schools in Calcutta had taken aerated drinks off their canteens following an NGO report.

In the US, a lawsuit will be filed in Massachusetts to get soft drinks out of schools, while California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has already signed legislation to ban some types of junk food from state schools.

Activists here welcomed the recommendation for the ban.

Dr Harish Shetty, a psychiatrist, said medical reports have made it clear that consumption of soft drinks was associated with inattention in children and led to brittle bones later in life.

“The consumption of packaged junk food also creates a sharp divide among children,” he added. “The burger and the cola create peer pressure on children who can’t afford it. I have met children who are suicidal because they feel they are tied to their middle-class backgrounds.”

Shetty said he has met several principals in the city, and some schools have decided on their own not to sell aerated drinks.

An official of a cola major agreed, saying the ban was not new as several schools across the country have banished soft drinks from campuses. “This doesn’t affect our market as the sales figures on school campuses don’t add up to much,” the official added.

“We do not sell our products from school outlets,” said another official.