Maggi in my soup. The Central government filed a complaint against Nestle India with the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), following the controversy over samples of Maggi noodles containing lead beyond permissible limits even as Delhi along with other states have temporarily banned the product.
Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan told reporters here that the NCDRC will probe the matter and take appropriate action.
He said the government, for the first time, was taking action under Section 12-1-D of the Consumer Protection Act, under which both Centre and states have powers to file complaints.
He said as there would be delay in getting the reports from food safety watchdog FSSAI (Food Safety Standards Authority of India) and since it concerned consumers’ health, the government decided to file a written complaint before the NCDRC.
Paswan said he did not know what will be the outcome of the FSSAI reports. “If the FSSAI reports are found to be positive, it is a very serious issue,” he said.
The minister defended FSSAI over the Maggi noodles controversy, and said if a company violated the standards, the regulator cannot be responsible for it.
Asked whether FSSAI was responsible for not checking the quality of Maggi, he said: “After getting licence, if someone does wrong and misleads the consumer, how can FSSAI be held responsible?”
He also said that until the inquiry was complete, the government cannot take action either against the company or the brand ambassadors.
Meanwhile, the Delhi government on Wednesday banned Maggi noodles for 15 days as Nestle India, the manufacturer of the popular snack, battled controversy with many more states ordering tests following a lab report that samples of the noodles contained more than the permissible limit of lead.
Bihar, Punjab, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha on Wednesday joined states like Maharashtra, Haryana, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and Goa which have sent samples of Maggi noodles for tests.
With consumers wary of Maggi noodles, sale of the snack, which has been a part of the Indian palate for over 25 years, took a hit with many stores and chains removing it from their shelves.
Indian Army officials said an advisory had been issued against eating Maggi and for their canteens not to sell it till the air was cleared about its contents.
Officials of Kendriya Bhandar said its retail outlets in the national capital and adjoining cities of Noida and Gurgaon have been asked to withdraw Maggi noodles from their shelves.
Stocks of Nestle India went down by 9.05 percent on Wednesday.
Nestle had earlier said it had sent samples of Maggi from almost 600 product batches to an external laboratory for independent analysis.
The company, however, did not respond to queries on details of the lab and specific results.
At the same time, Nestle sought to clear the air in response to a news report and said the company was officially unaware of any action by state governments, save the directive from Uttar Pradesh to withdraw the batch of February 2014 — which had already passed the ‘best before’ date.
“We have not received any official communication from the authorities so far,” Nestle said in a statement on Wednesday. “We are cooperating with the authorities who are conducting tests and awaiting their results.”
Delhi’s Health Minister Satyendar Jain said the city government has asked Nestle to recall all stocks of Maggi noodles from the capital.
“We are putting a 15-day ban on sale of Maggi noodles in the national capital. The ban will be in force from today (Wednesday) itself,” Jain told media persons.
He said the ban was imposed as samples of Maggi noodles were found to contain more than the permissible quantity of lead — which is 2.5 parts per million (ppm).
The Delhi government had earlier said that 10 of 13 noodles samples were found unsafe after tests.
Jain said officials from Nestle, who met him, said the lead content in Maggi was within the permissible limit but their reply was not found to be satisfactory.
He said five samples of masala (taste-maker) were also found to contain monosodium glutamate (MSG) without proper label declaration which falls under the category of misbranding.
Jain said the city government would reassess the quality of Maggi noodles after 15 days and samples of noodles of other brands will also be sent for tests.
But Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar on Wednesday said results of all tests in the coastal state found Maggi samples to be okay.
The noodle brand is already facing cases in Uttar Pradesh related to food safety standards.
The controversy surrounding Maggi has created concern among consumers including hostellers for whom Maggi noodles have been a go-to-food, especially at odd hours.
“It was a quick fix snack for my kids, especially when they were very hungry after school but now I cannot take their health for granted,” Rameshwari Devi, a homemaker in Noida, said.
Distributors and shopkeepers selling Maggi noodles in the National Capital Territory said sales have dipped over the past week.
Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, who has been dragged into the Maggi noodles controversy because of his earlier association with the brand, said on Wednesday that he was yet to receive any legal notice but will extend his help for smooth legal proceedings.
Bachchan said he had stopped being the face of the brand two years ago.
The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Wednesday welcomed the food authorities’ initiative in testing processed food for contaminants like heavy metals.
Delhi-based businessman R.P.S. Kohli has started a petition change.org asking Nestle India and urging Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda to recall Maggi from the market till it is found “safe for consumption”.
He said the petition has been signed by 20,000 people. (IANS)