Maggi is in a soup. But it won’t give up without a fight

Alike it's delicious variant of soupy noodles, Maggi noodles is in a concentrated soup and there seems no 2 minute respite anytime soon. A week later after reports detecting high content of lead in one batch of Maggi has stirred up a controversy, Nestle India has initiated a quick damage control. Asking the retailers not to panic, Maggi has been putting up logics to defend its move, a news report by The Economic Times has claimed.

"The order to recall the Maggi batch is for February 2014, which anyway would have got expired in November 2014," Nestle wrote to retailers. "This is an order from the state agency and no central agency has passed any orders," it said. reviewed a copy of the communication. 

The ET reviewed a copy of the communication where it has been further said, "This is an order from the state agency and no central agency has passed any orders."

"The news of lead is yet to be verified in the second test. The amount of any such substance is so small in any food product that even the slightest of error in test results might give incorrect results," the note said. In an email response to the ET, a Nestle India spokesperson said, "Some recent reports in the media about Maggi noodles are confusing people and we are working to clear the confusion as soon as possible. We are confident of our product and are sharing this confidence with our consumers and trade. It is too early to assess any impact on sales."

However, insiders' report to the financial daily has shown a significant drop in the sales of Maggi ranging from 10-40% since last week. Sales at stores in metros and bigger cities have been specially impacted because a lot of the current controversy has escalated on social media like Facebook and Twitter," sources have confirmed the ET.

The brand accounts for close to 30% of Nestle's sales in the country. National food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has initiated sample tests of Maggi noodles across other parts of the country, including Kolkata and Mumbai and Nagpur. 

Defending its flagship brand strongly, Nestle said Maggi noodles comply with applicable food and safety laws as well as the company's own standards of quality and safety before they reach consumers. Its spokesman said Nestle has made a representation to the Uttar Pradesh authorities and has submitted large number of product samples to an independent accredited laboratory to independently evaluate the product. 

"We will share the initial results soon and will continue to update as new results are received," the spokesperson told ET. In its communication to retailers, Nestle urged them not to be defensive if any customer talks about the controversy. "Nestle is a big enough company and will come clean out of it. Please don't get into any sort of communication or opinion without legal guidance," it said. 

Industry experts, however, say the controversy could have a severe long-term impact on brand trust. "In a case of this magnitude, both parties should make their reports public. In case the authorities have proof that the product in the market is tainted and unsafe, then they will likely initiate a public recall and initiate a probe in the matter," said Ashwin Bhadri, food auditor and business relations head at Equinox Labs, which works closely with the FSSAI, on compliance issues.

Nestle urges retailers to step up Maggi promotions as sales slide

Defending its flagship brand strongly, Nestle said Maggi noodles comply with applicable food and safety laws as well as the company's own standards of quality and safety before they reach consumers.

NEW DELHI | KOLKATA: Nestle has directed retailers "not to be defensive" about the controversy over alleged high lead content in Maggi noodles and instead promote its flagship product even as its sales have started to slide across India. 

"Please do not panic with the Maggi news," the world's largest food maker by revenues has written to the organised retail trade, two officials in receipt of the communication said. "The orders to recall the Maggi batch is for February 2014, which anyway would have got expired in November 2014," Nestle wrote to retailers. "This is an order from the state agency and no central agency has passed any orders," it said. ET reviewed a copy of the communication. 

"The news of lead is yet to be verified in the second test. The amount of any such substance is so small in any food product that even the slightest of error in test results might give incorrect results," the note said. In an email response to ET, a Nestle India spokesperson said, "Some recent reports in the media about Maggi noodles are confusing people and we are working to clear the confusion as soon as possible. We are confident of our product and are sharing this confidence with our consumers and trade. It is too early to assess any impact on sales."

The two trade officials quoted earlier, however, said sales of Maggi noodles in their national retail chains fell 10-40% last week compared to the previous week. "Sales at stores in metros and bigger cities have been specially impacted because a lot of the current controversy has escalated on social media like Facebook and Twitter," one of them said.The other official, representing a leading food and grocery retail chain, said: "Sales first began falling in UP mid last week, but over the last few days, sales of Maggi noodles have gone down consistently, in some cases by 40% across cities." Maggi has close to 70% share of the Rs 2,700-crore instant noodles category, followed by ITC's Sunfeast Yippee and Nissin's Top Ramen. 

The brand accounts for close to 30% of Nestle's sales in the country. National food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has initiated sample tests of Maggi noodles across other parts of the country, including Kolkata and Mumbai and Nagpur. 

Defending its flagship brand strongly, Nestle said Maggi noodles comply with applicable food and safety laws as well as the company's own standards of quality and safety before they reach consumers. Its spokesman said Nestle has made a representation to the Uttar Pradesh authorities and has submitted large number of product samples to an independent accredited laboratory to independently evaluate the product. 

"We will share the initial results soon and will continue to update as new results are received," the spokesperson told ET. In its communication to retailers, Nestle urged them not to be defensive if any customer talks about the controversy. "Nestle is a big enough company and will come clean out of it. Please don't get into any sort of communication or opinion without legal guidance," it said. 

Industry experts, however, say the controversy could have a severe long-term impact on brand trust. "In a case of this magnitude, both parties should make their reports public. In case the authorities have proof that the product in the market is tainted and unsafe, then they will likely initiate a public recall and initiate a probe in the matter," said Ashwin Bhadri, food auditor and business relations head at Equinox Labs, which works closely with the FSSAI, on compliance issues. 

Pankaj Sharma, a consumer rights activist on health and environment issues, said: "The company should invest on aspects of food and consumer safety. The findings of the FDA are glaring and if the company doesn't work along those lines, it might have a long-term impact on the brand."

DINAMALAR NEWS

FSSAI orders recall of Monster, Tzinga and Cloud 9; implementation soon

New Delhi

In a first-of-its-kind move apex food authority Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has acted tough on energy drinks by withdrawing their No Objection Certificate (NOC) and issuing a recall.

In this regard, though FSSAI does not have standards for energy drinks, the primary argument put forth by the authority to initiate the action was ‘irrational combination’ of unrecognised ingredients such as ‘ginseng’ along with excess amounts of caffeine, which is not fit for health.

While experts feel such measures are of not much use in the absence of standards as the problem will persist, FSSAI has withdrawn NOC to energy drinks that go by the names Monster, Tzinga, and Cloud 9. The order has asked the companies to stop manufacturing, sale, distribution, import and recall such products in India.

Interestingly, other leading names like Red Bull, Coca Cola Burn, and Bisleri Urzaa remained out of the net as they do not contain ginseng herb. Yet, their caffeine quantity is under scanner and it is not clear whether these products have been tested and cleared.

As for the products whose NOC has been withdrawn, though a recall has been ordered the process seems to be slow as action is being taken against only some of them in some states. For instance, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Maharashtra has reportedly seized cans worth Rs 3.9 lakh of an energy drink from a local mall, recently. Officials stated that the raid was conducted since the report of Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) was out. Officials seized 3,930 cans of the energy drink worth Rs 3.75 crore.

Meanwhile, other states like UP are not taking any such action and waiting for the orders. Vijay Bahadur, assistant commissioner, food safety, UP, informed that if FSSAI asked the companies to recall the product, the state agency would ensure that it happened.

The background

The apex food authority in its letter on May 8, 2015, observed that rationale for combination of ginseng and caffeine, projected as flavouring agent is not approved by FSSR and is misleading in these energy drinks. Further in case of Monster Energy Absolutely Zero, the authority found it carbonated, caffeinated, along with ginseng extract and have opposing effect on human body.

Further the letter to Monster says that one can (475 ml) of Monster Energy Zero was found to contain vitamins B2, B3, B6 and B12 in excess of the recommended daily intake. Apart from ginseng and caffeine, the product also contains Taurine and L Carnitine, two amino acids, in violation of Section 22 of the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Regulations, 2011. The use of L Carnitine and ginseng has to be specifically approved by FSSAI for use in such energy drinks. FSSAI also said in its letter to Monster that the company has not provided adequate supporting data for the products.

Earlier, FSSAI was to issue the letter withdrawing the NOC in September 2014. But the company managed to secure interim relief from the Bombay High Court in the same month. FSSAI challenged the interim relief in Supreme Court and the apex court finally issued the letter of withdrawal of NOC on May 8, 2015.

The apex food regulator has asked Monster to recall its products as they are declared unsafe.

As for Cloud 9, FSSAI has rejected NOC for pomegranate energy drink, red grapes energy drink, wild berry energy drink and premium energy drink. In its letter, the FSSAI wrote that the application for product approval for the above-mentioned have been examined. “Based on the 17th meeting of the scientific panel on functional food, nutraceuticals, dietetic products and other similar products, it was recommended that there is irrational combination of caffeine and ginseng. Thereby NOC issued to Cloud 9 stands withdrawn.”

The order further says that the company is advised to stop immediately the manufacturing, distribution and sales of the said product.

NOCs for energy drinks such as Tzinga Energy have been withdrawn on similar grounds.

Meanwhile, according to Centre for Science and Environment, energy drinks have been at the centre of controversy due to their high caffeine content, a strong psycho-stimulant which is marketed as an instant source of energy.

“High caffeine content can have life-threatening impact on blood pressure, heart and brain functions. The energy rush after consuming such drinks come from the sugars present in it, while caffeine only gives the impression of feeling energetic.”

Study on energy drinks

CSE a Delhi-based non-profit, in 2011, conducted a study on the safety of energy drinks such as Red Bull, Coca-Cola’s Burn, Cloud 9, Hector Beverages’ Tzinga, Monster Energy Ltd's Monster Ripper and three of JMJ group’s XXX energy drink brands—Rejuve, Nicofix and Minus.

Results revealed that 44 per cent of the samples breached the caffeine limit of 145 ppm set for carbonated beverages. Thirty-eight per cent of the samples breached the limit mentioned on the label and 25 per cent did not mention the caffeine content on the label.

As of now, India has not declared any standards limiting the caffeine content in energy drinks to be followed by the industry. As per a 2009 amendment in Rule 37-A (2) of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954, “energy” drinks were to follow the caffeine cap of 145 ppm, as is applicable to carbonated beverages. A stay order was placed on the amendment in 2010 which led the industry to be largely unregulated, says CSE.

Later, FSSAI notified a draft regulation on April 18, 2013, with standards for total caffeine in caffeinated beverages to be not less than 145 mg/l and not more than 320 mg/l. As per the draft, energy drinks were to be categorised as caffeinated beverages.

It proposed that product labels must display a message recommending that the daily intake must not exceed two cans per day. It also required labelling to have a prominent display of caution, warning against consumption by children, pregnant and lactating women. It recommended packaging of energy drinks in 250 ml containers with no health and enhanced function claims. 

CSE adds, till date, there has been no action or update on the status of these draft regulations. Detractors claim that consuming caffeine through tea and coffee is similar to that consumed through energy drinks.

But it is important to note that tea and coffee are consumed in smaller quantities and more slowly.

A can of energy drink has more caffeine and is consumed in higher quantity. When these are taken at one go, they are likely to cause sudden chemical burden on the body. It is, therefore, recommended that energy drinks follow a caffeine limit of 145 ppm.

Apart from their high caffeine content, concerns have also been raised about the consumption of these drinks with alcohol to counter drowsiness. However, scientific evidence shows that such consumption can impair cognitive function, increase probability of alcohol dependence and can affect other organs in the body.

CSE adds, the manufacturers claim that it is the combination of caffeine, taurine, glucoronolactone, vitamins, herbal supplements, and sugar or sweeteners that gives the energy. However studies show otherwise.

While it is the sugar that gives the energy rush, the caffeine only gives a 'feeling' of energy. There are studies to show health impacts of a few of the above stimulants, but hardly any long-term studies to show the effect of a combination of these stimulants in the drinks.

Energy drinks, a Rs 250 crore market growing annually at the rate of 20 per cent, is unregulated. They fall under the category of 'Proprietary foods' in the Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Act of 1954. An amendment ensured that caffeine in energy drinks should be capped at 145 ppm, the limit that was set for carbonated beverages. However, Red Bull managed to get a stay order on the amendment and since then the energy drink market is expanding unregulated. The FSSAI is currently making regulations on energy drinks, says CSE.

Maggi Noodles Found with Excess Lead: Doctors Respond

In the world of food, how long can you keep a secret? If reports are to be believed, then Maggi has kept the secret for almost 40 years. Food Safety And Drug Administration (FSDA) Lucknow had collected a few samples of Maggi noodles and sent them to Kolkata for testing. The report found traces of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and lead content to be beyond permissible limits. The FSDA officials said the acceptable limit of lead ranges between 0.01 ppm and 2.5 ppm and what they found was 17.2 parts per million (ppm).

What Lead Does to You?

"Lead can damage almost every organ system." - Web MD

According to Dr. Rupali, Dietician at Fortis Hospital, "Human exposure to lead can occur through soil, water and food. Lead deposits in your system over time and doesn't trigger an immediate problem. It's not acute and can only be diagnosed with a blood test. Children are more at risk for lead poisoning because their smaller bodies are in a continuous state of growth and development. Lead is absorbed at a faster rate compared to adults, which causes more physical harm to them than older people."

Dr. Ritika Samaddar, Dietics, Max Hospital says, "Lead is a toxin that is not required by your body. If it's allowed to accumulate in your body over time then it can spread to your brain, liver, kidney and bones causing long-term damage."

"Lead is gradually deposited in the liver and after a while the liver cells start to die. And what is left instead of normal cells are scarred tissues. Besides liver failure, other symptoms of ingesting too much lead are: inability to digest food, hormonal changes and bloating. It can also be deposited in the nervous and reproductive systems. What makes it worse is that the symptoms are so vague that doctors can't diagnose them" said Dr. Shikha Sharma.

If lead wasn't used intentionally, could it be a result of contamination? Dr. Shikha Sharma says, "A few years ago Coke was accused of having toxins and after investigating the issue they found that the water they were using wasn't purified enough. So even in this case, the presence of lead in Maggi could be the result of some kind of contamination."

Too Much MSG in Your Food: What that Means

MSG often goes by the name of hydrolyzed proteins, yeast extracts or protein concentrates. However, the names aren't exactly interchangeable. According to FDA's website, MSG occurs naturally in hydrolised proteins and so the food agency doesn't require that MSG be listed separately. At the same time, foods with any ingredient that naturally contains MSG cannot claim "No MSG" or "No added MSG" on their packaging.

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) can be found naturally in ingredients like tomatoes, cheese, soybeans, seaweed and dried mushrooms. But these days, instead of extracting glutamate from natural sources, MSG is produced by fermentation of starch, sugar beets, sugar cane or molasses.

(What is MSG all about?)

Dr.Shikha Sharma says "The naturally produced MSG isn't something you need to worry about. It's the synthetic kind which isn't easy to digest and can harm your health. Especially in the case of kids and pregnant women. Synthetic MSG can cross the placenta and reach the baby causing multiple problems."

Dr. Rupali, Dietician at Fortis Hospital says, "Headache, flushing, sweating, chest pain and nausea are all symptoms that are attributed to MSG. However, researchers have found no definitive evidence of a link between MSG and these symptoms. Researchers acknowledge, though, that a small percentage of people may have short-term reactions to MSG. Symptoms are usually mild and don't require treatment. The only way to prevent a reaction is to avoid foods containing MSG."

What do the American food authorities feel about lead contamination? The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first sought to limit or ban the presence of lead in 1906. And since then, it's published countless reports that define a limit for different kinds of products. For example, a 2006 report says, "This guidance provides a recommended maximum lead level of 0.1 ppm in candy likely to be consumed frequently by small children."

At this point it's important to mention that the lead quantity found in over a dozen packets in Maggi is 17.2 parts per million (ppm) which in our country is eaten by both adults and little children!

What the Indian food authorities have to say? According to an online report published by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), "The term trace metals refers to the metals found in food. While some inorganic elements such as sodium, potassium, calcium and phosphorus are essential to man; elements like lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic are found to cause delirious effects even in low levels of 10-50mg/kg." They've also tabulated the amount of lead that can go into specific kinds of food although it's unclear which product category instant noodles falls into.

Please note: While the The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSDA) has confirmed the test results, the FSSAI is yet to conduct its own investigation. But this controversy has most definitely opened up a can of worms for Maggi noodles.