Central government’s food safety regulator FSSAI has ordered Nestle to recall nine variants of Maggi instant noodles from market.
Meanwhile, Reliance Fresh, a retail chain decided to remove all 11 instant noodle brands from its 2621 stores in over 200 cities across the country. The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday banned Maggi, Reliance Instant Noodles and two other brands for three months in the state.
However, there is some good news for the noodle brand from West Bengal as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said that no “objectionable material” was found in Maggi noodles in the state after laboratory tests were conducted and hence no action was taken.
Maharashtra also lifted ban from the popular snack.
FSSAI found nine variants of Maggi noodles ‘unsafe and hazardous’ for human consumption. It has asked Nestle to stop their production, import and sale with immediate effect.
FSSAI said Nestle violated labelling regulations on taste enhancer ‘MSG’, asks company to submit compliance report on its orders within 3 days. The regulator said Nestle launched ‘Maggi Oats Masala Noodles’ without product approval and without undertaking risk, safety assessment.
Earlier, Nestle has reiterated that Maggi is safe for consumption and has been temporarily withdrawn from market.
Addressing a press conference, Nestle global CEO Paul Bulcke said that Maggi noodles were withdrawn from market due to “confusion” as the “consumer trust was shaken” following recent developments.
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“We do not add MSG in Maggi noodles…will remove ‘No MSG’ from product label,” said the global CEO of Nestle.
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He further said, “Our priority is to clarify on safety of product to authorities and be back on shelves as soon as possible.”
Nestle also claimed that no lead was found in 1,000 Maggi batches tested internally.
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Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar became the latest states to ban the sale of Maggi noodles. The state governments decided to ban the sale of Maggi noodles after its samples failed laboratory tests.
The sale of Maggi noodles is already banned in Nepal, Delhi and four more states of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand after concerns were raised over presence of monosodium glutamate (MSG) and lead beyond permissible levels in the product.