PETALING JAYA: An SMS has been circulating that Pepsi products are contaminated with HIV but Permanis Sandilands Sdn Bhd has clarified that this is a hoax.

Its marketing vice-president Hemalatha Ragavan said there was no truth to it.

She urged people not to believe such claims.

"This SMS started circulating in India in July and even there, no one believed it," she said yesterday.

The SMS reads: "for d next few days, do not drink any product from pepsi company like pepsi, tropicana juice, slice, 7up , coca cola, etc,,as a worker from the company has added his blood contaminated with HIV. watch NDtv ...please 4ward this 2 every 1 u care about.....ok. Please note seriously."

Hemalatha said Pepsi products were produced according to the strictest safety standards and were safe for consumption.

"It is scientifically proven that HIV cannot be transmitted via food or drinks anyway," she said, adding that different versions of the same rumour had made the rounds before.

However, she said those rumours involved other companies' food items.