Maggi in the soup!
Potentially harmful ingredients have been found in one of India's most popular instant noodles, Maggi. Some of the product's packets have already been recalled from the market.
After two dozen noodle samples lifted from Lucknow revealed high levels of toxic lead and Monosodium Glutamate (MSG), food inspectors sent these twice to the laboratory and each time found these were damaging to human health.
For its part, Nestle India has clarified that it has "strict safety and quality controls" in place for all raw materials used to make Maggi noodles. "We do not add MSG to Maggi noodles…and glutamate, if present, may come from naturally occurring sources. We are surprised with the content supposedly found in the sample as we monitor the lead content regularly," a spokesperson from Nestle said.
During routine tests on two dozen packets of instant noodles, inspectors from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) found high lead content.
They found a lead concentration of 17.2 parts per million (ppm), which is almost seven times the permissible limit (0.01 ppm to 2.5 ppm).
"We had collected samples of Maggi from several places and found exorbitantly high amount of lead in it. It was sent to laboratory twice and found dangerous for human body," Ram Araj Maurya, additional commissioner (administration), food safety and drug administration (Uttar Pradesh), said.
Doctors say that excess lead levels can cause major health hazards, including impairment of neurological development, suppression of the haematological system and kidney failure.
"Excess levels of lead are especially problematic for children. Developmental delay, abdominal pain, nerve damage and other vital organ damage may occur," Dr Anoop Misra, chairperson of Fortis-C-DOC, said.
Similarly, A.K. Malhotra from the Drug Licencing and Controlling Authority told Mail Today that Maggi was dangerous for kidneys.
"We found during two laboratory tests that the presence of lead was alarmingly high in Maggi. It was sent to the laboratory much against the wishes of the manufacturer. It has been discussed by the department extensively that having too much Maggi can be fatal. It was also the department's concern that children eat it most often," Malhotra said. However, officials didn't confirm that any decision to ban it has been reached yet.
Twitter was abuzz with memes showing Gurmeet Ram Rahim as 'MSG', the harmful ingredient found in Maggi noodles.Similarly, the dangers of MSG also can't be ignored. It is a flavour enhancer and traditionally used in Chinese food. A kind of amino acid that occurs naturally in many agricultural products, MSG is often added to packaged food to augment flavour. Food safety regulations mandate companies to specify on the packaging if MSG has been added.
Doctors say that it may cause problems like burning sensations in mouth, head and neck. It may cause weakness in arms or legs, headaches and upset stomach nearly 15 minutes after being consumed. Other problems include flushing headaches, hives or allergictype reactions on the skin.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which reports to Health ministry, has a procedure for product recall to ensure food safety. Any product, if found counterfeit, adulterated, contaminated or with toxic material, is seized at the production stage or recalled from retail market or even the consumer level.
"Product surveillance and product quality checks are regular activities with the government. At times, big brands have to recall their products from the market though the products that have already been sold out are difficult to trace. Whenever and wherever a product is found with any health safety issue, it is recalled," a senior FSSAI official said on the condition of anonymity.
Reacting to the discovery in Lucknow, he added: "It is a state issue and we have not received any information so far in this regard. As soon as we get any information from the state food safety department, we will take appropriate action."
According to reports, an official with Nestle India has reportedly confirmed that the UP state food safety department has ordered a product recall after finding toxic ingredients in the noodle packets. Maggi noodles have been under the government's scanner earlier too with misbranding issues in India, while Nestlé Philippines recalled a number of Maggi beef and chicken noodles for possible salmonella contamination in 2011.
