Products in Middle East safe, says Nestlé after reports of recalls in India
Dubai - The Dubai Municipality will conduct tests on Maggi noodles in the wake of reports from India about “dangerous amount” of lead and flavour enhancers, even as Nestlé Middle East has assured the safety of the product in the UAE market.
Reports in the Indian media this week said Maggi’s two-minute noodles were under the scanner after high lead content was found during routine tests on two dozen packets in the state of Uttar Pradesh (UP). Initial tests reportedly also found high levels of added monosodium glutamate (MSG), a taste enhancer.
However, in a report on Wednesday, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India denied ordering a recall as reported by a section of the media. It said it was waiting for a report from UP before deciding to order a countrywide sampling.
A senior UP official also said the final report of the investigation is yet to come and a recall of the product can be ordered only after confirmatory reports are examined.
Responding to queries on the safety of the product here, a Dubai Municipality official said there was no safety concern raised at the moment. “We subject all products, including this, to laboratory tests after doing routine sampling,” he told Khaleej Times.
“We are aware of the issue in India. In view of that, we will conduct more specific sampling and tests to ensure compliance,” he added.
Another official said MSG was not banned in the UAE. It was also found mentioned on the labels of Maggi packets.
“We inspect food facilities for compliance. That ensures that unapproved products are not used. However, there is no ban on the use of MSG in the UAE... Products are tested on a risk-based scale and that helps us to ensure that unsafe products don’t get into the market,” he said. Lynn Al Khatib, a Nestlé Middle East spokesperson, told Khaleej Times: “All Nestlé products in the Middle East are safe and compliant with the highest quality standards.”
Welcoming tests on Maggi, she assured there was no need for consumers here to be concerned. However, she said she was not in a position to answer questions about the issue in India.
A top official from Sharjah Municipality said the inspectors take samples of food and test them every day. “They have never come across with issues (in this product) and all food in the market are fit for consumption. They didn’t receive complaints from the public either,” said the official.
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