Uttarakhand government seeks clarification on Maggi ban

Asks Centre to clarify if there is any ban on the production and sale of Maggi Noodles

The Uttarakhand government has sought clarification from the Centre on the status of the ban imposed on the production and sale of Nestle's Maggi Noodles in the country.

"We have asked the Centre to clarify if there is any ban on the production and sale of Maggi Noodles," Om Prakash, state food safety commissioner and principal secretary for health, told Business Standard.

In his letter to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Prakash said: "Is the ban imposed on the aforementioned product (Maggi Noodles) on June 5, 2015, still active or not? If not, then please make us available the orders mentioning the same."

Meanwhile, Nestle India has withdrawn its petition in the Uttarakhand High Court in view of the Bombay High Court's order lifting the ban imposed by food safety regulators on its product, which was banned for allegedly containing lead beyond the permissible limit. When asked about the status of the petition pending before the Uttarakhand High Court, Prakash said Nestle India had withdrawn it.

Despite the ban being lifted in some states, the Uttarakhand government is treading cautiously over lifting the ban in the state, where the product's largest manufacturing facility is located at Pantnagar. Nestle enjoys a host of tax incentives at the Pantnagar facility. The plant has been closed since the ban.

The state's food safety department had imposed a blanket ban on the production, marketing and sale of Maggi Noodles at its Pantnagar plant in June, after samples of the product failed tests. Following the ban, Nestle had moved the High Court seeking revocation of the ban.

According to the notification issued by the Food Safety Department commissioner, the ban was to remain in force for 90 days.

Meanwhile, the product was being sold in some stores in the state despite the ban. "We are verifying reports regarding the sale of Maggi Noodles in some stores in Dehradun," health department officials said.