Overshadowed by the issue in the Indian market since past few months, Swiss brand Nestle has announced that all samples sent from the newly made stock of Maggi noodles have been cleared.
Nestle India conducted over 3500 tests representing over 200 million packs in both national as well as international accredited laboratories for testing and all reports are clear. In addition to these, various countries including USA, UK, Singapore, Australia and others have found Maggi noodles exported from India safe for consumption.
The food giant is likely to introduce the fresh stock of 2-minute noodles within this month.
Updated on June 5, 12:30 pm: The row over the safety of Maggi noodles has now gone global. After Nestle India's withdrawal of Maggi from India, Singapore and UK are also initiating investigations on the noodle brand. While Singapore, on the direction of its Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority has banned Maggi in the country, Britain has also started investigations into the quality of the product being sold in across Indian shops in the United Kingdom.
Meanwhile, Paul Bulcke, Nestle's CEO will address a press conference on the Maggi issue today. Bulcke will interact with media personnel and put forth the company's stand on the controversy that surrounds the noodle brand.
Updated on June 5, 9:30 am: Nestle India has finally taken India's most popular noodle brand Maggi off the shelves amidst food scare. After six states including Delhi banned the product, Nestle decided to roll back Maggi noodles. On Thursday night, Nestle in a press release posted on its website saying that their first priority is the safety of their products and the trust of their consumers.
Nestle India also said that Maggi noodles is safe but after being brutally thrashed by media and people, the company decided to withdraw the noodles from sales regardless. However, Nestle has promised to bring back the trusted Maggi noodles after the situation is clear.
Updated on June 4, 3:50 pm: After Maggi noodles being banned in New Delhi for 15 days, Uttarakhand and Gujarat have also follwoed suit. Gujarat government has banned Maggi noodles for one month. Also, a Mumbai retailers' organisation has ordered all members to stop selling or stocking Maggi until the safety aspect of the product is cleared. Meanwhile, Jharkhand government's decision to ban Maggi in the state will be out very soon.
Ban of Maggi noodles in many states has not only affected the sales of the product, but Nestle India’s shares at the Bombay Stock Exchange have also suffered greatly.
Updated on June 3, 6:10 pm: After testing several samples and assessing the permissible limit of MSG, governments in Goa, Mahrashtra and Kerala have given a clean chit to Maggi noodles, the popular snack from Nestle. However, Maggi is still under scanner in Delhi, where the state government has issued a 15 day ban and withdrawn the popular food item from stores.
Several other Indian states that are running tests on the popular noodle brand include Gujarat, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.
According to industry experts, Maggi noodles contributes over 20% to Nestle's revenue in India and a ban on the product could cause a huge dent on the company's bottom line.
Updated on June 2, 5:15 pm: Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation [Supplyco] has now put a ban on Maggi Noodles all over the state. Anoop Jacob, Food and Civil Supplies minister has now directed the civil supplies corporation to immediately put a stop on the sale of Maggi noodles. The ban will continue till there is a clarity on quality of the product. Also, now Haryana government has also ordered tests for Maggi noodles.
Updated on May 25, 10:00 am: After Uttar Pradesh's initiative, Karnataka Government has planned to test Maggi samples and will take further steps based on the results of the laboratory tests. Also, authorities in Kolkata have also collected samples from markets in the city to send the product for laboratory testing.
Updated on May 22, 2:00 pm: The manufacturing company of the in news Maggi noodles, Nestle India, has said that all its quality and safety controls are in place and it has not been asked to recall the product. The country's largest food maker in a Press Release said that it regularly checks its product and has denied the claims by the Uttar Pradesh state unit FDA. Nestle has submitted the product samples to an accredited independent laboratory. The company also said that it will share the results with the authorities as they are out.
Updated on May 21, 8:00 pm: After Uttar Pradesh FDA claimed that Maggi contains high levels of MSG and lead, Maharashtra state unit FDA has decided to test Maggi samples from Pune, Mumbai and Nagpur before recalling the product from the market. The Maharashtra FDA said that they will only decide on the course of action after the sampling results come out.
Updated on May 18, 11:00 am: If you are one of those who simply can’t live without those two-minute noodles, we have bad news for you. After performing some tests on one of Nestle’s most popular products, the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) found out that Maggi has monosodium glutamate (MSG) and lead more than the permissible limit.
According to official sources, Maggi samples were collected in parts of Uttar Pradesh. After testing the product, it was found out that Maggi contained lead and MSG in excess of the permissible limit.
The inquiry was started by the Lucknow Food Safety and Drug Administration, they wrote to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) asking them to cancel Maggi’s licence. The FSDA has also tested samples at Kolkata’s referral laboratory and have found MSG and lead in excess.
On the other hand, Nestle has denied the claims and has said that they do not add MSG or lead to the noodles, and the glutamate present in the product may have been found from naturally occurring sources. They have also said that there is no specified limit for MSG or glutamate in edible products.
If test reports are to be believed, Maggi contains 17 ppm lead, however, the permissible limit is 0.01 parts per million. These additives can have adverse effects on health and are harmful to children as well.
Image Credit (bbc.co.uk)