Nestle India's Maggi noodles passes safety test

Nestle ready to begin manufacturing as govt labs give green signal

Nestlé is set to resume manufacturing Maggi instant noodles in the country after three government-accredited laboratories found samples safe for human consumption.

The laboratories nominated by the Bombay High Court found lead below permissible limits in all 90 samples of six variants of Maggi noodles sent for testing, Nestlé India said in a statement on Friday, adding actual sale would start “only after the newly manufactured products are also cleared by the designated three laboratories”.

Read more from our special coverage on "NESTLE MAGGI CONTROVERSY"

• Consumer court orders retesting of Nestle Maggi
• Undeterred by Maggi issue, other product launches double
• Nestle awaits test results before resuming Maggi production
• Noodle makers claw back with new launches
• Food safety regulator to hire law firms to get back into the groove

The Bombay High Court had on August 13 struck down a Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) ban on Maggi noodles and ordered fresh tests.

The Nestlé India stock surged 6.06 per cent on Friday to close at Rs 6,580.10 on the BSE, crossing the Rs 6,500 mark after more than two months.

“We are happy that the results from these three labs specified by the Bombay High Court confirm that the samples are clear and Maggi noodles are safe. Nestlé has conducted about 3,500 tests, representing over 200 million packs, at both national and international accredited laboratories and all reports are clear,” the company said.

Sources said the company was now deciding which of its plants would resume Maggi production. It has been conducting quality checks on suppliers for a while.

“Nestlé executives visited our facility a few days ago to check the quality of our products. They assured us about Maggi’s comeback,” said Paras Budhiraja, director of Paras Spices, the largest supplier of spices to Nestlé.

“Re-starting the manufacturing process and bringing Maggi noodles to the market is a lengthy and complex process, which requires alignment with several stakeholders, including our suppliers, distributors and retailers. Five of our eight plants have the capacity to manufacture Maggi noodles and all of these use state-of-the-art technology, follow the same stringent standards, are FSSC 22000-certified and all Nestlé India plants maintain the same high quality. Now that we have received the test results mandated by the Bombay High Court, we will evaluate where we can accelerate the process of re-starting under the current circumstances,” said a Nestlé India spokesperson.

Nestlé could start manufacturing noodles immediately but bans by various state authorities will have to be addressed. “Uttarakhand, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh had banned production, storage and sale of Maggi. We have to look into the technicalities before deciding on the plant where we can start manufacturing,” said a Nestlé executive.

The company manufactures Maggi noodles in plants in Moga (Punjab), Nanjangud (Karnataka), Bicholim (Goa), Tahliwal (Himachal Pradesh) and Pantnagar (Uttarakhand).

Since Nestlé brought in a new managing director, Suresh Narayanan, in August, its focus on promoting Maggi noodles has increased. Immediately after the Bombay High Court order, the company came up with ‘missyoumaggi’ teaser advertisements on YouTube, followed by a campaign on television and digital media highlighting the trust Nestlé had enjoyed in India for about 100 years. Nestlé stopped manufacturing Maggi noodles on June 5, when an order of recall was issued by the FSSAI on its production, storage, sales and export. The company had to incinerate about 30,000 tonnes of stocks at 11 cement plants across the country.

After manufacturing new batches, Nestlé must have these tested at three laboratories in Mohali, Hyderabad and Jaipur, accredited with the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories, for a safety report before it can start selling Maggi noodles. Satish Srinivasan, factory manager of Nestlé’s Moga plant, had earlier told Business Standard once the go-ahead was received, it would take 14 days to make Maggi noodles available in the market. Asked about the possibility of Maggi noodles returning to the market, the Nestlé spokesperson said, “We are looking at completing the process as soon as possible.”

Repeated calls and messages to FSSAI officials did not receive any response.

OUT OF THE SOUP

• Apr 7, 2015: MSG confirmed in Maggi; lead content more than allowed
   
• May 30: UP FDA files case against Nestlé India
   
• Jun 1-4: Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, UP and J&K ban Maggi
   
• Jun 5: Nestlé withdraws Maggi noodles from India; FSSAI issues countrywide ‘order of recall’, stops production, distribution and export
   
• Jul 25: Suresh Narayanan replaces Etienne Benet as Nestlé India head
   
• Aug 13: Bombay HC strikes down ban on Maggi, orders retesting at 3 NABL-accredited labs
   
• Oct 16: Three labs clear Maggi noodles; all 90 samples found safe