A.S.R.P. Mukesh
Marketing executive Kiran Gupta's six-year-old has been throwing a tantrum at mealtimes. But, unlike most times, mum Kiran is being strict and not giving in to pester power.
Maggi, which Kiran's little boy wants, is on the Ranchi working mom's list of grocery untouchables after the whole noodles controversy erupted in May, when Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) found lead and monosodium glutamate (MSG) higher than prescribed limits in the product.
On Monday, Union consumer affairs, food and public distribution minister Ram Vilas Paswan said Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) was testing Maggi samples.
"The UP food department (UP FSDA) investigated the matter and they found MSG and lead. Now, it has been taken up by the FSSAI and it will investigate further," Paswan told the media.
But, although the FSSAI is supposed to test Maggi samples from many states, Jharkhand state food controller Praveen Chandra denied getting any written directive.
"I have read newspapers about this issue. But, as of now, we haven't got anything in writing from the government of India. So, as far as tests are concerned, nothing is planned at the moment," he told The Telegraph on Monday night.
But, consumers everywhere know that the ubiquitous yellow packet, promising a two-minute meal to generations since the early 1980s, when it was launched in India, is in trouble, as is its owner, food giant Nestle India.
The UP's FSDA has also slapped notices on Bollywood biggies Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta for endorsing Maggi noodles.
"Who will explain to my kid all these complexities?" asked Morabadi resident Kiran. "Everyday, I tell him that the Maggi company has shut down." She has instructed her maid not to buy Maggi for the child in her absence and is stocking up on fruits and ice cream at home to keep the child engaged during his summer vacation.
Lalpur homemaker Kaveri Singh said her two children aged six and eight were also demanding Maggi. "We parents made Maggi a staple due to time constraints. Plus, Maggi was easy to make and affordable too. But, after this controversy, I am giving my children muri (puffed rice) and vegetable juice as snacks."
Many grocery stores and supermarkets in Ranchi said sales of Maggi had dipped in the last 10 days or so. Many have voluntarily stopped stocking the item.
"The day I first read the news, I immediately called up a local sub-distributor to return all packets. We had a heavy daily sale of Maggi but after the news (of extra lead and MSG) broke, we stopped selling them at our outlets in Birsa Chowk and Kadru, replacing them with stocks of other brands," said owner of In & Out, Kushdhwaj Shahdeo.
A sales executive at the Morabadi-based Reliance Fresh added: "We do have some old stocks but they are hardly selling."
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