Three women. One forbidden ritual. Driven to desperation by poverty, they perform a hawan the village elders buried for a reason. The fire listens. It gives them what they asked for — then collects what they never offered. Some debts aren't paid in coin.
I posted earlier asking whether Sting bottles were tasting chemically/weird in other cities too, or whether this was an India-specific issue.
After that, I escalated it by email to PepsiCo India and also looped in the Indian franchise bottler/distribution side. For global context: in India, PepsiCo beverages are handled through major franchise bottlers. One of the key ones is Varun Beverages / RJ Corp, which manufactures, sells and distributes PepsiCo beverages in India, including Sting. So this is not just a random local shop issue if the problem is repeated across multiple outlets.
The concern I raised was not based on one bad bottle. I had purchased Sting red/original variant bottles from different shops in the same city area, and several had a strong chemical-like taste, bad/pungent smell, noticeably degraded taste, and suspicious bottle/label condition.
The follow-up has been poor. PepsiCo India first asked for my phone number and exact outlet address. I said I wanted everything in writing and explained that it was not one outlet, but multiple shops in the area. Then they asked for bottle photo, batch number, bottle size, manufacturing date and time. I explained that many of the labels/batch details were degraded or unclear, which itself was part of the concern.
The real issue: they seem to be treating this as a single-bottle complaint, while I reported it as a repeated area-level stock/distribution problem. I specifically asked whether the local retailer/distributor stock would be inspected. So far, I have not received any clear confirmation that an actual stock check happened.
This is the pathetic part. If a consumer reports repeated chemical taste / bad smell / suspicious bottle condition across multiple shops, the response should not just be “send batch details.” PepsiCo and its Indian bottling/distribution partner should be able to verify whether the stock in that area is legitimate, properly stored, and from the authorized supply chain.
Not claiming every Sting bottle is bad. Not claiming lab proof. But the follow-up process in India looks weak for a mass-market drink consumed heavily by teenagers and students.
I am posting this because Sting is extremely popular among school kids, teenagers, and college students, and what I noticed did not feel normal.
I am in Jaipur. I have bought Sting red/original variant from multiple local shops here, and several bottles had a strong chemical-like taste, bad/pungent smell, and noticeably degraded taste compared to normal. A few bottles also looked suspicious in terms of bottle condition, almost like reused or poorly handled stock.
This did not feel like one bad bottle from one random shop. It felt repeated across multiple outlets in the same area.
I have already emailed PepsiCo / Varun Beverages asking them to check the local retailer/distributor supply chain. But before this gets treated like a small local complaint, I want to ask people across India: are you noticing similar taste/smell issues with Sting or other bottled drinks in your area?
The reason I am concerned is simple: these drinks are not just consumed by adults. A lot of small kids buy them casually from local shops without checking bottle condition, seal, expiry, smell, or manufacturing details. If there is any local supply/counterfeit/storage issue, it should not be ignored.
Has anyone else noticed:
Please mention your city/area and what exactly felt off.