Maggi imported into Canada comes under lens

After being hit by a recall order in India, Maggi noodles has come under the scanner of Health Canada as the product imported into the country is being investigated by Canadian Food Inspection Authority (CFIA).

According to a statement by the Health Canada, it may issue a recall if the imported Maggi brand noodles are found to have discrepancies.

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“The CFIA is aware of the recent incident in India involving Maggi brand noodles, including Nestlé’s removal of products from the Indian marketplace. “The CFIA is conducting a food safety investigation for the possible presence of lead in Maggi brand noodle products imported into Canada by various firms. If affected products are identified as part of the agency’s ongoing investigation, a food recall warning will be issued,” the Canadian health regulator said.     

The CFIA takes food safety concerns very seriously. More information will be shared with the public as it becomes available, it added. Nestlé  India currently exports small quantities of Maggi noodles to the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Singapore and Kenya.

Reacting to the development, Nestlé  said in a statement, “We are working closely with the regulators in each country to explain the situation in India and, where they want to test the products, we are cooperating fully with them.”

“We also manufacture Maggi noodles in other countries and these are not affected by the situation in India." Unfortunately, recent developments and unfounded concerns about the product in India have led to an environment of confusion for the consumer there, to such an extent that Nestlé India has decided to withdraw the product off the shelves in India, the company said. “The batch of Maggi Noodles in question is not distributed by Nestle Canada, in fact, the Canadian product has its own custom recipe and packaging.”

“We assure consumers that all Maggi products in Canada are safe to consume,” it added.

In India, several states including Delhi, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Goa have banned sale of Maggi noodles.

Cracking down on Swiss giant Nestle, central health regulator FSSAI on Friday banned all variants of Maggi noodles terming them as "unsafe and hazardous" for human consumption.