Govt laboratory test report shows Maggi safe for consumption: Nestle India

The local arm of the Swiss packaged food company said that the reports found lead levels for all samples within permissible limit

In June 2015, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India had banned Maggi noodles.

New Delhi: A government laboratory that tested 29 samples of Maggi noodles at the instance of the Supreme Court has reported that the popular snack is safe for consumption, boosting the prospects of the Indian arm of swiss multinational Nestle in a case before the court.

Nestle India said on Monday that the tests conducted by the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysuru, a government laboratory found nothing wrong with the product.

The report was submitted to the court on 6 April and released to the company late last week.

The local arm of the Swiss packaged food company said that the reports found lead levels for all samples within permissible limit. Mint has not seen a copy of the report.

On 13 January, the apex court asked the national research lab, approved by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), to clarify if lead levels in the samples of Maggi noodles it tested on 16 December were within prescribed levels.

According to Nestle India’s statement, all 29 samples of Maggi noodles (13 and 16 in two tranches) were collected by the relevant authorities following due process and then directly submitted to CFTRI. “The CFTRI findings and the recent Order dated 31 March 2016, issued by the Food Standards and Safety Authority of India (FSSAI), clarifies that additive MSG can be used under Good Manufacturing Practices in permitted food products and there is no prescribed level,” it added.

The local unit of the Swiss packaged food company was embroiled in a controversy after FSSAI banned the sale of Maggi on 5 June 2015, citing the presence of monosodium glutamate and excess lead. The company could not sell the popular snack for six months in 2015. Nestle India relaunched Maggi noodles in November.

For the year to December (Nestlé India follows a January-December accounting year), net profit fell 52% to Rs.563.27 crore.

In its annual results statement, Nestle India said, “The company faced an unusual situation with Maggi Noodles that impacted its operations during the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters. The results for the year and for the 4th quarter ended 31 December, 2015 are not fully comparable with the results of the previous corresponding periods.”

Equity analysts remain optimistic about the prospects of Nestle India. “We remain positive on Nestlé from 2-3 years’ perspective, being a strong play on urban revival. But over medium term, the company’s margins and volumes will remain under pressure,” Edelweiss Securities analyst Abneesh Roy said in a note on 15 February.

Maggi clears all safety tests directed by Supreme Court

All tests conducted on 29 samples of the instant noodles failed to find any excess lead or artificial MSG in it

Nearly a year after it got into trouble, Maggi noodlespassed all safety tests directed by the Supreme Court(SC) and National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission (NCDRC). All tests conducted on 29 samples of the instant noodles failed to find any excess lead or artificial monosodium glutamate (MSG) in it, Nestle India said on Monday.

“Every single sample was found compliant. Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) laboratory has clarified that glutamic acid can be due to presence of ingredients like tomatoes, Cheese, Hydrolyzed Plant Protein, Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein etc. It has further stated that there are no analytical methods to distinguish between naturally present glutamic acid and additive MSG”, Nestle India said in a statement.

The apex court in January, ordered laboratory testing of 16 Maggi noodle samples in addition to 13 samples collected by government authorities earlier. A NCDRC bench comprising judge V K Jain and judge B C Gupta ordered retest of Maggi noodles, collected from nine batches, in the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories - accredited CFTRI laboratory in Mysuru.

While, the NCDRC directed tests were conducted to determine presence and level of lead and MSG in Maggi. The tests, ordered by the SC, was to determine level of many safety parameters like metal contaminants, crop contaminants, and other hazardous substances, including lead and MSG.

The latest test reports are in line with the food major’s claims that it does not add MSG in Maggi noodles, Nestle said.

The controversy related to presence of MSG and higher than permissible level of lead in Maggi instant noodles hit Nestle India in May last year. The issue led to a country-wide ban of Nestle’s flagship instant noodles, which contributes Rs 2,500 or 26 per cent of its Rs 9,800 annual sales.

As Maggi noodles remained off the shelves in the country between June and October 2015, Nestle India suffered considerable financial losses. It also posted Rs 64 crore net loss during the July-September last year, first time in 17 years.

While, the beleaguered food major’s sales and profit remained lower than that on a year-on-year basis since. The union government and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) are facing questions from various quarters of the society. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the minister of food processing industries expressed concerns as the tussle between Nestle and the government authorities might hurt government’s business friendly image.

“We strongly re-iterate that Maggi noodles has always been safe for consumption as demonstrated by tests carried out in independent accredited laboratories. In addition to the recent CFTRI reports addressing clarification sought by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India, and the tests conducted as per orders passed by the Hon’ble Bombay High Court, over 3,500 tests have been conducted at internal and external accredited labs. These include several other national food authorities including the USA, UK, Singapore and Australia, among others”, it added.

Food regulator admits industry suffered from 'fear psychosis' post Maggi ban

New Delhi: With industry fearing excessive regulation in the wake of Maggi controversy, food regulator FSSAI has said it has taken a number of steps to check any "fear psychosis" among companies.

The Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has relaxed the product approval process for proprietary food products and nutraceuticals. It had also last week issued clarification about the standards of monosodium glutamate (MSG).

After the ban on Maggi in June last year, the food industry had complained about 'inspector raj'. Even Food Processing Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal had said that the regulator has created an environment of fear in the industry.

When asked about whether there is any fear psychosis after the Maggi ban incident, FSSAI CEO Pawan Agarwal said that it has taken number of steps to ease approval process without compromising on the quality norms of the products in order to address any fear among the industry.

"... The fear psychosis has been curbed up to a large extent with various landmark initiatives taken by the FSSAI in easing the approval of food products and nutraceuticals,? Agarwal told PTI.

"But at the same time, utmost importance has also been given to ensuring quality of the food items," Agarwal said.

Maggi noodles was banned by FSSAI in June last year for allegedly containing lead beyond the permissible limit. It came back into the market in November 2015.

Elaborating on steps taken by the FSSAI, Agarwal said the food products for which standards were not laid down in the Food Safety and Standards Act but have approved ingredients, now may not require any approval.

He also mentioned that the restricted enforcement activity against nutraceuticals and health supplement companies to only testing of products till new standards are notified

To empower the consumers, Agarwal said FSSAI has launched an app through which general public can get information about the standards.

The authority has also started awareness and training programmes for the food business operators about how to implement the food safety standards.

As FSSAI has been streamlining its regulations to ease product approval process, Union Minister Harsimrat Badal had also said that there will more investment and innovation in the food sector. She has been raising industry and quality issues with the food regulator.

Welcoming the latest initiatives by the FSSAI, CII last week had said that the recent notifications by the regulator on proprietary food, and notice on harmonisation of Food Additives with Codex, mark the beginning of a new chapter in developing and promoting India as the global hub for food industry. 

Take action against Khyber: Principal Judge to Commissioner Food Safety

Says Khyber milk was tested unsafe thrice, reserves judgment

Budgam, April 9: A local court here in Budgam on Saturday asked that why didn’t Commissioner Food Safety took action against Khyber as per the Act when its milk was tested unsafe thrice.

According to GNS, Principal District and Sessions Judge Budgam, Mohammad Yusuf Wani reserved the verdict on the petition filed by the M/s Khyber Agro Farms Private Limited, challenging the order of the Sub-Judge Budgam, Imtiaz Ahmad Lone.

Lone in his judgment had said: “The Commissioner Food and Safety shall immediately take all steps in ensuring that the convicted company is closed or products are taken off from the market unless Referral Laboratory Kolkata declares that the products of the convicted company as safe to consume and products manufactured by the convicted company do not harm the nation as is proved by the medical report submitted by the SKIMS.”

Wani while reserving the verdict observed: “If Commissioner Food Safety had powers why didn’t he take action as per the act when the milk products of the company were declared unsafe by referral laboratory thrice.”

Principal District and Sessions Judge Budgam made these observations when the counsel for the Food Safety Department, Advocate Javed Mohammad Hubbi informed the court that Khyber Milk was declared unsafe for human consumption by the referral labs thrice.

He said that two more cases of similar nature are in the court of Municipal Magistrate Srinagar against the company. He told the court that another case against the company is pending before the High Court in which court had issued show cause notice to it for imposing Rs 10 crores as damages for manufacturing adulterated food items.

Senior Advocate of Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Zafar Ahmad Shah, argued that the judgment of the Sub-Judge is bad in law and can’t sustain in the eyes of law. He argued that proper procedure was not followed during sampling.

Advocate Hubbi argued that report of the referral laboratory is final and conclusive. He said that it is a social issue and involves lives of lakhs of people and argued that the judgment of the sub-judge has no legal lacunae.