Food Safety authorities awaiting govt nod to prosecute Nestle India
The authorities in Kashmir are awaiting nod to prosecute Maggi manufacturer even as the instant noodles has made a comeback to the market this Diwali.
Maggi samples lifted from Srinagar in June have been found contaminated with lead and subsequently declared unsafe, said the authorities concerned. Five months after it was banned for allegedly containing lead beyond the permissible limit,
Maggi noodles made a comeback in the select markets. Manufacturer Nestle India, which owns the Maggi brand, has prepared a staggered rollout, except in eight states where it is still not allowed.
Following the countrywide report that Maggi noodles contained lead and MSG beyond permissible limits, the J&K Government on June 4 ordered immediate ban on its sale for a month.
The Consumer Affairs & Public Distribution officials, however, had said the ban might extend beyond the stipulated period if the test reports of the samples lifted for determining the lead and MSG content in Maggi were not received till then.
The Food Safety authorities in Srinagar had also sent Maggi samples to a referral lab in Kolkata to determine if it contained lead and MSG content.
“The subsequent reports which were received from the Kolkata referral lab suggested presence of lead in the lifted Maggi samples,” said Assistant Commissioner, Food Safety, Srinagar, Hilal Ahmad Mir.
Mir further said the lab had declared Maggi noodles “unsafe for consumption”.
Asked what action had been initiated against the distributor and the company which marketed Maggi in the Kashmir region, Mir said: “The matter is under investigation.”
