Delhi May Ban As Samples Found `Unsafe'
Maggi noodles is in trouble in Delhi amid indications that the state government may move to ban it. A Delhi government spokesman said 10 out of 13 samples tested for lead content were found to have amounts higher than permissible limits. Several other states were also testing the product and if Maggi fails these tests, the travails of Nestle, which manufactures the popular noodles, could deepen.
“This falls under the category of misbranding,“ Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said. He added the government has decided to file a case against Nestle for selling unsafe products and fine it for misbranding Maggi noodles. Sources said Nestle officials will be summoned by the Delhi government for an explanation. When TOI tried to contact Nestle officials, their phones went unanswered.
Meanwhile, the Kerala government pulled out Maggi from its 1,700 Supplyco outlets. Though the government is yet to ban it, food and civil supplies minister Anoop Jacob said, “We've decided to withdraw the product from our outlets. Random samples have been sent for testing by civil supplies department.“
In Goa, FDA director Jyoti Sardesai said, “We tested samples collected from the Goa market as well as Nestle factory located in Mauliguem in north Goa. All were found to be of standard quality.“
In Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the state governments have ordered testing on samples. Maggi, the two-minute gastronomical de light of children, flew off the shelves for the wrong reason on Tuesday .State governments from Delhi to Kerala, and from Tamil Nadu to Haryana, Maharashtra and West Bengal, deployed officials to randomly collect Maggi samples of different batches and dates for testing the safety of its content.
Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain said, “Last week, we lifted 13 samples of Maggi for testing following media reports of these being unsafe for consumption. We found the masala samples, tastemakers of at least 10 such packets, had lead content beyond the prescribed limit of 2.5 ppm.“ Jain also said five samples of masala were found containing monosodium glutamate (MSG) without proper label declaration.
A senior Delhi health official said all existing stocks of Maggi will have to be removed from the market immediately since 80% of samples tested were found to be unfit for hu man consumption.
The Tamil Nadu govern ment too issued orders for lift ing random samples of Magg from across the state for labo ratory tests after reports o presence of non-essentia taste enhancer monosodium glutamate and lead above permissible levels.
Packets of Maggi have been taken from several dis tricts across Tamil Nadu “The samples are being col lected for the past two days and the test results would be known later this week,“ said a TN government spokesman
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