Maggi samples taken for tests, no ban in city

GURGAON: Even as food safety officers lifted samples of Maggi noodles across the city and started testing them on Wednesday, the dish was available in various outlets all the same. The initiative was taken after the health ministry directed food safety officers across districts to collect the samples.

District food safety officer Jitender Yadav told TOI that the department would collect samples from wholesalers and samples might include other noodle brands.

"According to health ministry guidelines, we are collecting samples of Maggi noodles. The samples will be sent for testing for all parameters to notified laboratories, in keeping with the instructions given by the ministry," he said.

Maggi came under the scanner recently after the food safety department in UP filed a case under the Food Safety and Standards Act (FSSA) after samples were found to contain monosodium glutamate (MSG) higher than the permissible level.

TOI correspondents found both Maggi packets and cooked Maggi noodles were widely available at grocery shops and roadside stalls across the city.

People seem to have mixed views on Maggi consumption. Sujata Sharma, a resident of Sushant Lok I, said, "Even though we have stopped bringing Maggi home, my children can easily have it outside, as cooked Maggi is still available at roadside stalls. The government should impose an immediate ban on the product."

Many seemed sceptical of the ban. "Several provisions of the FSSA, 2006 can't be implemented immediately. Generally, courts in India either stay the ban or extend the deadline for food business operators. So I don't think the product will be banned anytime soon," said Rishi Tyagi, a city-based advocate.

Meanwhile the roadside stalls selling Maggi noodles outside major IT-BPO hubs in the city were doing a brisk business.

There were a few exceptions, though, in some areas such as Udyog Vihar where the usual Maggi stalls were missing on Wednesday. "There is a stall that sells Maggi right here outside my office in Udyog Vihar Phase III, but today it is not there. I am not sure if it is because of the ongoing debate on its safety," said Gunjan Sharma, an IT executive.