The Joint Parliamentary Committee probing pesticide allegations in soft drinks has said that the health ministry should have used provisions of law to stop carbonated soft drink companies from spreading "misinformation" through their advertisements.

In its report, the JPC says that "the committee feels that it is the responsibility of the ministry of health to ensure that no misinformation is spread by any company with regard to their products.

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"The ministry of health and family welfare should have invoked the relevant provisions of the PFA Act in this regard," it said.

On its part, the health ministry had expressed its inability to restrict the advertisement by cola companies on the plea that the maximum permissible limit for pesticides have "not been prescribed for carbonated beverages under PFA Rules 1955" and in the absence of these there was no provision to restrict advertisements from these products.