Noodles other than Maggi tested in Tamil Nadu found to have high lead content

The tested brands include ITC's Sunfeast noodles, Nissin's Top Ramen and CG Food India's Wai Wai

Noodles from major FMCG companies in the country reported presence of lead at a higher than prescribed level in Tamil Nadu. 

Test results revealed, Sunfeast noodles from FMCG major ITC, Indo Nissin's Top Ramen and C. G. Foods India's Wai Wai contains more than 2.5 parts per million (ppm) of lead in them.

According to D K Jawaharlal from Food Analyst Laboratory, Chennai, tastemakers from all these noodles contain up to 3.4 ppm of lead. "Apart from Maggi, we have also found excess lead in tastemakers of ITC, Top Ramen and Wai Wai noodle", he said.

Although, the state food laboratory, after testing 11 samples, found 3.2 ppm of lead in Maggi noodle's taste maker packets, the noodle cake contains lead at a much lower level. "In Maggi noodles (cake) we have found lead at less than 0.1 ppm level", he added.

Earlier, scientists from Nestle's Quality Assurance Center in Moga - the food major's internal testing lab for the south east Asian region -  claimed that the Maggi noodles contains 0.01 - 0.03 ppm of lead. The taste maker, however, have found to show a little higher level of lead. "When tasted separately, the tastemaker may show up 0.1 ppm of lead, at times", a scientist from the lab told Business Standard . "However, when prepared the noodle will contain negligible amount of lead since, by volume, tastemaker forms very little part of the entire dish", he indicated.