‘Maggi’ under regulatory scanner for lead, MSG beyond permissible limit

NEW DELHI: The 2-minute noodles 'Maggi' has come under regulatory scanner after samples collected in some parts of Uttar Pradesh were found containing added monosodium glutamate (MSG) and lead in excess of the permissible limit, official sources said. 

The Lucknow Food Safety and Drug Administration has initiated inquiry and written to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in New Delhi seeking to cancel the licence for Maggi. The state regulator has also asked FSSAI to order sampling of the product from across the country to check quality, officials said. 

"We have tested Maggi samples at Kolkata's referral laboratory. The test results show that there are added monosodium glutamate and excess of lead. We have ordered further sampling," FSDA Assistant Commissioner Vijay Bahadur Yadav told TOI. 

However, Nestle, which manufactures Maggi, maintains that it does not add monosodium glutamate to the product, whereas presence of excess lead is "surprising" for the company. 

"We do not add MSG to MAGGI Noodles and glutamate, if present, may come from naturally occurring sources. Food regulators in India also do not specify any limit for the presence of MSG / Glutamate," a Nestle spokesperson said. He said, "We are surprised with the lead content supposedly found in the sample. We monitor the lead content regularly as part of regulatory requirements, and tests at our own accredited laboratories as well as those by independent external accredited laboratories have consistently shown the results to be well within the permissible limit." 

According to Yadav, test results showed Maggi containing 17 parts per million lead, whereas the permissible limit is 0.01ppm. Nestle says its records show lead content is negligible and less than 1 % of the fixed limit. 

Monosodium glutamate, a kind of amino acid which occurs naturally in many agricultural products, is often also added artificially to packaged food to enhance flavour. Regulators and experts say such additives can be harmful for health, mainly for children. Food safety regulations mandate companies to specify on the packaging if MSG has been added. 

When contacted, FSSAI said it will examine the case once it receives a detail report from UP and will immediately order sampling from other states. "Enforcement of the Act lies with state government and they must keep a stringent check. Once we receive communication from the state, we will certainly examine and take immediate cognizance," a senior FSSAI official said. 

Nestle said so far it has not been informed about any cancellation of licence or ban on the product. It also maintains that Maggi noodles "conform to all applicable food laws and regulations".

Maggi in excess MSG, lead soup

The 2-minute noodles `Maggi' has come under regulatory scanner after samples collected in some parts of Uttar Pradesh were found containing added monosodium glutamate (MSG) and lead in excess of the permissible limit, official sources said.

The Lucknow Food Safety and Drug Administration has initiated inquiry and written to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India seeking cancelation of Maggi's licence. It has also asked FSSAI to check product samples from across the country .

“Test results showed Maggi containing 17 parts per million lead, whereas the permissible limit is 0.01ppm,“ FSDA assistant commissioner Vijay Bahadur Yadav told TOI. However, Nestle, which manufactures Maggi, said it does not add MSG, whereas presence of excess lead is “surprising“ for them.

MSG, a kind of amino acid, is often added artificially to packaged food to enhance flavour. Experts say such additives can be harmful for health, mainly for children. FSSAI said it will examine the case once it receives a detail report.

Chennai roadside eateries: Cheap food, questionable quality

There is growing concern among residents about the increasing fast-food culture in the fast-paced lifestyle of the city. With an ever-increasing population finding it quite unaffordable to dine at restaurants or hotels, the city has been a witness to a spurt in roadside and mobile eateries during the past few years. Though these eateries that are found in every nook and cranny of the city provide affordable food, the hygiene factor remains a questionable thing to the customers.

M.S. Vaidyanathan, a resident of New Colony, Chromepet, in a post on Friends of Chennai (FOC) brings to focus the health and hygiene issues involved in these roadside eateries. The senior citizen, who has been visiting several places in the city, said these mobile eateries having hygiene as the last priority prepare food items in highly polluted, open spaces and serve them in poorly cleaned plastic plates.

In another post on the FOC website, Puneet Gupta, a resident of Kasturi Ranga Road, Teynampet, complained about roadside eateries causing nuisance to residents and messing up pavements by dumping food waste. The writer is upset that despite sending a complaint to the Chennai Corporation, no steps have been taken to remove them.

Concerned citizens have been appealing to the civic body highlighting the growing number of mobile and roadside eateries that seem to be operating with no trader’s licence or any food safety mechanisms.

A senior police official in Vepery citing the numerous mobile eateries operating right behind Ripon Building, the headquarters of Chennai Corporation, wanted to know why the civic authorities have turned a blind eye to these unauthorised ‘kai-yendhi bhavans’.

In a Right to Information filed by The Hindu about the licensing and food quality check of mobile eateries, the civic body has said these mobile eateries are not ‘licensed’ to operate, but remain silent about closing these illegal eateries.

தரமற்ற பால் விற்பனை 2 பேரிடம் விசாரணை

ஆத்தூர்: ஆத்தூர் நகரில், அனுமதி பெறாமல் பால் விற்பனை செய்த, இரண்டு கடைகளில், நகராட்சி சுகாதார அலுவலர்கள், பால் பொருட்களை பறிமுதல் செய்தனர்.

ஆத்தூர் நகர் பகுதியில், உரிமம் பெறாமல், தரமற்ற பால் விற்பனை செய்வதாக, மாவட்ட கலெக்டருக்கு புகார் சென்றது. அதன்பேரில், ஆத்தூர் நகராட்சி, சுகாதார ஆய்வாளர் செல்வராஜ், துப்பரவு அலுவலர் முருகேசன் ஆகியோர், நகர் பகுதிகளில், ஆய்வு மேற்கொண்டனர். அப்போது, ஆத்தூர், புதுப்பேட்டை, வீரகனூர் ரோடுகளில், பால் விற்பனை செய்த, முத்தையன் மகன் ராஜா, லோகநாதன் மகன் பாலு ஆகிய இருவரும், நகராட்சி அனுமதி பெறாமல், கடைகளில் பால் விற்பனை செய்து வந்தது தெரியவந்தது.

அதையடுத்து, கடைகளில் இருந்த பால் கேன், அளவைகள் ஆகியவற்றை பறிமுதல் செய்து, மேல்நடவடிக்கைக்கு, உணவு பாதுகாப்பு துறை அலுவலருக்கு, பரிந்துரை செய்தனர்.

Mango season brings along with it a chemical menace

Chennai:

It's that time of the year when artificially ripened mangoes something that comes with grave health hazards using calcium carbide flood the market. The department has seized 800kg of artificially ripened mangoes and 85kg of calcium carbide from Koyambedu wholesale market this season. Consumer activists say this is nothing compared to the scale in which artificial ripening is done, and the food safety department's raids are largely ineffective.

Ripening mangoes using calcium carbide or its fumes is prohibited under the Food Safety and Standards Act. In addition to the raids, officials are also creating awareness among wholesalers and retailers on harmful effects of artificial ripening in a bid to curb the practice. “We have distributed pamphlets, erected banners and made announcements in Koyambedu market about the ill effects of calcium carbide. We have also decided to intensify raids in the next few days in other markets to curb their sale. Action would be initiated against the violators,“ said a food safety official.

Consumer activists said the food safety department has failed to curb the sale of such mangoes. “The authorities are not serious about curbing cancer-causing calcium carbide mangoes. Raids are conducted as an eyewash,“ said T Sadagopan, a consumer activist.

Sources said those using carbide fumes are left scot-free many times as no evidence is found against them. Some traders in Koyambedu said they have been using calcium carbide for several years to ripen mangoes. “This is the easiest way to ripen the fruits. It takes 10 to 15 days for mangoes to ripe naturally , but it can be done in a week using the chemical,“ said a wholesale trader.

Calcium carbide contains arsenic and phosphorous. It damages skin, kidneys, heart and liver, and also causes ulcers and gastric problems.They say chemically-ripened mangoes look bright yellow and have a hard feel. The naturally ripened ones would have gradients in yellow and green.Food safety officials advise consumers to put mangoes in water for 30 minutes and wash them thoroughly . They also recommend peeling off the skin before eating.