Consumer court orders retesting of Nestle Maggi

NCDRC appoints a local commissioner to collect 100 more samples from a warehouse in Lucknow to be sent for testing

The country's apex consumer court has ordered retesting of Nestle India's Maggi instant noodles, in line with the Bombay High Court order earlier in August.

Putting aside Nestle India's argument over its jurisdiction to oversee the case, National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), on Thursday, accepted the government's plea for further testing of the instant noodle.

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The commission also appointed a local commissioner to collect 100 more samples from a warehouse in Lucknow to be sent for testing.

The NCDRC's order, on Thursday, came in stark contrast from its stance during the previous hearing on October 8, when it refused to give a go ahead for testing of the noodle and insisted on hearing Nestle's arguments on the commission's jurisdiction.

The NCDRC bench comprising judge V K Jain and judge B C Gupta ordered a retest of 13 samples of Maggi noodles, collected from nine batches, in the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories-accredited CFTRI laboratory in Mysuru.

Although all nine variants of Maggi noodles are in question, the commission ordered testing for only two variants of the noodles - Maggi Masala and Veg Atta Noodles.

Following a countrywide ban on all the variants of Maggi noodles in June 5 over alleged presence of monosodium glutamate and higher-than-permissible levels of lead, the government had filed a suo moto class-action suit against Nestle India. After diverting the attention of the bench towards the sampling and testing methodology adopted by the state food and drug administrations before the ban, Nestle India counsel Iqbal Chagla argued over the jurisdiction of NCDRC. While, the commission, during the last hearing, allowed the company to present its case, the NCDRC on Thursday categorically directed the government for a retesting.

NCDRC has directed Nestle India to give their replies within a month. The commission will hear the Rs 640-crore class action suit on November 23.