If nothing else, the Union Health Minister, Ms Sushma Swaraj's statement on the outcome of tests conducted by government laboratories on soft-drinks manufactured in the country is the first official acceptance on the need to set the permissible level of pesticide residue in carbonated beverages made in India. That it required the initiative of a non-governmental organisation to spur the Government into even recognising that the extant standards fall short on a vital aspect of public health; undertake sample testing and lay down new benchmarks shows up the poor levels of accountability. That carbonated beverages have been consumed by the public for a number of years, even before the advent of multinationals, is a sad commentary on governance...editorial