UK Food Standards Agency finds Maggi safe to eat

UK's food regulator Food Standards Agency (FSA) on Wednesday gave a clean chit to Nestle for Maggi manufactured in India saying levels of lead in the product are well within the EU permissible levels.

UK's food regulator Food Standards Agency (FSA) on Wednesday gave a clean chit toNestle for Maggi manufactured in India saying levels of lead in the product are well within the EU permissible levels.

"The FSA can confirm that results from testing samples of Maggi Noodles in the UK have all found that levels of lead in the product is well within EU permissible levels and would not be a concern to consumers," FSA said in statement.

It further said: "Following an incident in India, where a sample of Maggi Noodles was reported to contain high levels of lead, the Food Standards Agency made the decision to test a selection of Maggi Noodles as a precaution. In India, this incident has resulted in a large scale withdrawal of the product."

Nestle informed FSA that the only variety of Maggi Noodles they import into the UK from India is the 'masala flavour'.

"The FSA has now tested this flavour and others from the Maggi noodles range, as a precaution. As well as tests carried out by local authorities, the FSA has also asked Nestle to provide it with test results from its own samples. All showed levels of lead to be well within EU permissible levels," it said.

The total number of samples taken from Nestle, local authorities and port authorities were around 900 in total, FSA added.

Similarly, food regulators of other countries such the Vietnam Food Administration (VFA), National Measurement Institute in Australia and Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) have given clean chit to the company and said Maggi noodles imported from India are "completely safe to eat".

Nestle India currently exports Maggi noodles to Canada, UK, Singapore and Kenya and to third parties in the US, Australia and New Zealand.

Maggi noodles were banned in India by food safety regulator FSSAI over presence of lead beyond permissible limits and taste enhancer monosodium glutamate.

Nestle India had recalled the instant noodles from the Indian market and destroyed Maggi worth Rs 320 crore.

Nestle stock price

On July 01, 2015, Nestle India closed at Rs 6140.40, down Rs 205.25, or 3.23 percent. The 52-week high of the share was Rs 7499.95 and the 52-week low was Rs 4845.00.

The company's trailing 12-month (TTM) EPS was at Rs 129.21 per share as per the quarter ended March 2015. The stock's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio was 47.52. The latest book value of the company is Rs 294.27 per share. At current value, the price-to-book value of the company is 20.87.

Why Nestlé Can Export Maggi Noodles Made in India But Not Sell Them There

Thousands of noodle cartons are being stockpiled at Nestle’s distribution center in northern India. Preetika Rana/The Wall Street Journal

An Indian court said Tuesday that Nestlé SA could export batches of Maggi 2-Minute Noodles made in India, but still could not sell them in the country.

Sales of the wildly-popular snack were blocked across India this month after regulators said they found elevated levels of lead in some samples, an allegation the company denies.

Nestlé challenged the nationwide ban in court. In the latest hearing Tuesday, Nestlé asked the Bombay High Court for clarity on whether it is permitted to export the Maggi noodles, even though regulators had not barred the company from sending the product abroad.

Nestlé’s Indian arm exports Maggi noodles to the U.S., U.K., Canada and Singapore, among other countries. Noodles exported to these countries and those sold in India are produced in the same facilities. Nestlé’s five noodle factories were shuttered amid heightened concern over the safety of the snack.

The court’s blessing could mean the Swiss company resumes noodle production, as long as the products are for sale overseas.

Still, the court’s decision may appear rather odd to some consumers: Why is Nestlé barred from selling its noodles in India but not abroad?

As with most developing nations, India’s food-safety regulator doesn’t monitor or test exports. It is typically up to the importing country to decide what it deems fit for consumption within its borders. Singapore, for example, tested samples of Maggi noodles after the scare broke out in India and said it found them safe. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration also said it would test Nestlé’s noodle imports.

India has a patchy record when it comes to exporting food. Data analyzed by India Real Time show that the U.S. rejected more snack imports from India than from any other country in the first five months of this year. Indian products led the world in snacks rejected from the U.S. last year as well.

The FDA cited excessive use of pesticides, unsanitary storage conditions, and the presence of salmonella, a bacteria known to cause diarrhea, fever and cramps, as some of the reasons for rejecting Indian imports. In one instance this year, the FDA said it rejected a snack from the western state of Gujarat because it “appears to consist in whole or in part of a filthy, putrid, or decomposed substance or be otherwise unfit for food.” False claims on labels and failing to identify one or more ingredients were a few other slips, the FDA said.

While India’s food-safety watchdog rushed to test everything from pastas to instant noodles in the wake of the Maggi scare, its chief says he doesn’t have the manpower or resources to check the millions of products fast filling kitchens cabinets in the world’s second-most populous nation – much less exports.

A Nestlé India spokesman declined to say what percentage of sales come from noodle exports. Maggi noodles dominate the Indian market, though, accounting for more than one out of every two bowls of instant noodles consumed here. One in every five dollars Nestlé earns in India comes from the sale of its noodles.

The Bombay High Court will resume hearing arguments in Nestlé’s case on July 14.

Despite ban by food safety panel, energy drinks openly sold in Srinagar markets

SRINAGAR: The departmental stores in Srinagar are openly selling energy drinks like Monster, Cloud 9 and Tzinga despite a ban by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FASSI) over a month ago.

The drinks, which were banned for their disastrous effects on health like cardiac arrest or irregular heart rhythms and sudden death in children who may have hidden heart ailments, are openly on display at shelves and refrigerators across Srinagar.

Kashmir Reader was able to buy cans of ‘Monster’ and ‘Cloud9’ from some prominent departmental stores in Lal Chowk and Nowgam.

Last month, FASSI banned the sale of at least nine products that come into the category of energy drinks. The products include Monster energy absolutely zero and Monster energy produced by the Mumbai-based Monster Energy India; Cloud9 pomegranate, Cloud9 red grapes, Cloud 9 wild berry and Cloud 9 premium of Pune-based Pushpam Foods and Beverages; and Tzinga lemon mint, Tzinga tropical trip and Tzinga mango strawberry.

The beverages contain combination of ‘caffeine and ginseng’ –a compound extracted from an herb used in traditional Chinese medicines. The FASSI has called the combination ‘irrational’ as it has opposing effects on health. The Monster energy drink contains 240mg of caffeine, about the equivalent of seven cups of coffee.

According to FASSI report, the levels of vitamin B2, B3, B6 and B12 are found above the recommended level of consumption in a single can (475ml) of Monster energy drink. The product is also in violation of section 22 of the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) act as the product contains Taurine, L-carnitine-two amino acids- beside caffeine and ginseng for which an approval is to be sought from FSSAI.

In 2011, a University of Miami researcher in the ‘Journal of Paediatrics’ wrote “Energy drinks have no therapeutic benefits and that “these drinks may put some children at risk for serious adverse health effects”.

Food security officer, Qazi Sarvar said that he was now aware of the issue. “I don’t know anything about it. It’s the job of the food inspector to identify the stores; we can impose a fine on them,” he said.

Tobacco products, unsafe food items seized

TO ENSURE BETTER HEALTH:Food Safety officials conducting a raid on shops checking for banned chewing tobacco products and unsafe food items in Ramanathapuram on Tuesday.

Raid conducted to create awareness of checking expiry date

The District Food Safety wing of the Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department raided shops and seized banned chewing tobacco products and unsafe food items and beverages worth about Rs. 10,000 on Tuesday.

Led by M. Jagadish Chandra Bose, Designated Officer, Food Safety officials raided shops in Aranmanai area here and seized unsafe products, which included locally made soft drinks, packed in plastic tubes, wafers and expired food items.

Mr. Bose, who assumed office here recently, said that the raid was conducted to ensure food safety to the people and create awareness of checking manufacturing and expiry dates of food items before they purchased them.

He said that though the government had banned many tobacco products since 2012 under the Food Safety and Drug Administration Act, many shops were still selling them. The value of the seized tobacco products was Rs. 5,000, he said.

“The drive will continue throughout the district at regular intervals and team raids will be carried out at least once in a week,” he said. There were 13 Food Safety officers in the district and they would visit shops and collect samples of food items in their respective blocks for laboratory tests.

He said that the government had recently renewed the ban on chewing tobacco products for a year since May 23, but the products were available in shops.

The products carried pictorial warning that their use would cause oral cancer but several people were ignorant of the impending danger, he regretted.

Excess colouring in some of the food products and locally made beverages also caused cancer, he warned. All the seized products would be destroyed, he added.

FSSAI deadline over, only 3 food samples’ report out

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Food and Drugs Administration (MPFDA) has once again failed to meet Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) deadline for submission of report. 

The latest failure comes after food safety regulator asked state FDA to test items like chocolates, noodles, pastas, macaroni and similar products in the wake of Maggi controversy. 

FSSAI request was received in the first week of June and states and Union Territories were asked to submit reports by June 19. Since then MP FDA has sent 47 items for testing. 

"We have received test reports for 3 items (chocolates). They passed the surveillance test. We received some other reports but they were missing some components," said MPFDA joint controller Pramod Shukla. 

MPFDA dependence on private laboratory also delayed reporting of tests for Maggie noodles. The test outsourced to an Indore-based private laboratory. 

It had hit a roadblock, after the private laboratory did not have the required 'reagent' for testing. 

Approximately, every sixth food sample was found of substandard quality in Bhopal in last two years. According to latest MPFDA report, about 15% of food samples drawn between 2013 and 2015 (February) in Bhopal were either unsafe or did not comply to standards set by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). 

It included milk and milk products, fast food, packaged mineral water, dal, mustard oil, papad among others. Officials took about 500 food samples to check if they were fit for consumption.

Assam's health dept to monitor food vendors

GUWAHATI : To improve food hygiene and safety, the Assam health and family welfare department is going to issue online registration to thousands of vendors operating across the state from June 30. Through this move, the health department hopes to monitor the services provided by food vendors in Assam. 

Vendors whose annual business turnover is below Rs 12 lakh will have to get themselves registered, while those with annual turnover of more than Rs 12 lakh will have to procure a licence. The online registration process is currently available to vendors in seven districts. 

Once a vendor is registered, the health department will be able to monitor him or her and check if hygiene norms are being followed. According to rough estimates by the health department, there are between 25,000 and 30,000 vendors across the state. 

"This is an attempt to regulate the food sector. Once a vendor is registered, he or she has to follow hygiene norms. We are concerned about public health and food safety," said Sanjeeva Kumar, principal secretary, health and family welfare department. 

"This is a massive exercise and we want to make sure that the process is completed smoothly," he added. 

Consumption of contaminated food and water causes stomach related illnesses. Unclean food can also cause jaundice. In the city, it is common to see school and college students savouring street snacks from unclean stalls.

Mazza soft drink safe to drink

Imphal, June 30 2015 : Maaza samples which were collected on June 1 from the premises of store room of M/s SB Traders (Distributors) Masjid Road, Imphal West for testing purposes following the fainting of a woman after she consumed Maaza 200 ml Tetra pack has been confirmed safe and declared safe for consumption according to the parameters set by the Food Safety and Standards Regulations 2011.It has been said that the results were returned on June 24 and confirmed to be safe to the standards under Food Safety and Standard Act 2006, Rules and Regulations, 2011.The sample was found to be Thermally Processed Fruit Juices falling under item No "2.3.6" of Chapter 2 of Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standard) Regulations 2011, it added.

On May 30 a 42 year old woman Mrs Sangita of Kwakeithel reportedly collapsed after consuming Maaza 200ml Tetra pack which resulted in her hospitalization at the Regional Institute of Medical Science in Imphal.

She was released later the same day.

Following this incident, the Food and Safety Department collected samples from the market for testing purposes.

The report stated that the sample that was sent for testing conforms to the prescribed standards for the parameters on which it was tested.

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