Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 5
Finding nine approved variants of Maggi instant noodles being marketed
by Nestle India “unsafe” for human health on account of high lead
content, the apex food regulator this afternoon ordered the company to
recall and withdraw from the market as also stop the production of all
nine variants. Following a meeting with Health Minister JP Nadda, with whom the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) shared evidence of Maggi noodles being unsafe, the authority issued a show-cause notice to Nestle India asking it why the product approval granted to the firm in July 2013 in respect of nine Maggi noodles variants should not be withdrawn.
The authority, which has the powers to cancel product approvals of unsafe foods under the FSSAI Act of 2006, has asked Maggi to respond to its cause-notice in 15 days and also submit a compliance report in respect of ban on production of unsafe noodles varieties within three days.
Nestle faces the prospect of criminal proceedings in court with the FSSAI holding the company guilty of three major violations of the food safety law – presence of lead in the product in excess of the permissible limit of 2.5 parts per million; misleading labelling information on the package which says “no added Monosodium Glutamata; and the release in the market of non-standardised brand – Maggi Oats Masala Noodles with tastemaker — without risk assessment and grant of product approval.
The FSSAI, which based its orders on the results of Maggi lab tests conducted by states, said: “It is clear from the reports received from various states that there is overwhelming evidence of the said food product being unsafe and hazardous for human consumption.”
Under the FSSAI Act, a company marketing unsafe food is liable to face criminal proceedings in the court and its directors could face both fine and jail terms.
FSSAI will soon take a view on moving court against Nestle for marketing hazardous food in India. FSSAI in its order mentioned that the response given by company representatives on the issue was not satisfactory and therefore recall orders were being issued.
It cited how UP found Maggi noodles brand t contain 17.2 ppm of lead; Gujarat found 15 of the 29 samples tested to contain excessive lead content; Delhi found 10 of the 13 samples tested unsafe; and Tamil Nadu also found high lead levels.
Health Minister JP Nadda, meanwhile, said today that no compromise on food safety will be done and all levels of food security will be adhered to. He said, "After reports from various state governments, we have concluded that FSSAI standards have not been met by Maggi.
Therefore, Nine variants of Maggi found unsafe have to be withdraw from market."
The FSAI orders came almost simultaneous to the press conference held by Nestle’s Global CEO where the company defended its brand, saying it was withdrawing the product from Indian market to keep up with consumer trust and that the brand was "safe" for consumption.
Nestle global CEO Paul Bulcke flew in from Switzerland to take stock of the situation following Maggi was banned in states such as Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat, among others.
We felt unfounded reasons resulted in confusion and the trust of consumers was shaken,” Bulcke said at a press conference here.
Reiterating that the company’s instant noodles are safe, Bulcke said: “We apply the same quality standards and methods in the world here in India too. Our tests have found that Maggi is absolutely safe.”
He said the company is cooperating with authorities in India by sharing tests methodologies to find how lead was found beyond permissible limits in tests done by authorities in its efforts to “bring Maggi on the shelves as soon as possible”.
The company declined to share details of how many batches and packets it is withdrawing from the market and how much it would affect its sales in India.
“Our main focus is to win the trust of customer,” Bulcke said.
Late last evening Nestle India decided to take Maggi off the shelves after a controversy erupted over its contents, prompting several states to ban the ‘Two-Minute’ noodles. (With inputs from PTI).
