Disappointed over government's suit as matter is sub-judice: Nestle

Nestle India on Wednesday expressed disappointment over the the Indian government filing a suit with the apex consumer forum with regard to Maggi noodles despite the matter being sub-judice and maintained it did not add any MSG or mislead the consumers.

"We are disappointed with the unprecedented step of filing of a complaint before the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) against Nestle India. Based on reports it appears that the complaint makes similar allegations which were made to ban the product on June 5," the company said in a statement.

These issues are awaiting judgment by the Bombay High Court, the company added.

"We confirm that we do not add Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) in the manufacture of Maggi noodles," the company said.

It further added that MSG is one of the several forms of glutamic acid found in natural foods such as groundnuts/peanuts, wheat flour, tomatoes and cheese.

"As we use some of these ingredients in Maggi noodles, the product will contain natural glutamic acid. We therefore strongly reiterate that the 'No Added MSG' statement on the product was not an attempt to mislead consumers."

Nestle also said that the company maintains the highest standards of food quality and safety in the manufacture of all its products.

"Consumer trust has been of paramount importance to Nestle over the 103 years of its presence in India," it said.

The company added it had a stringent programme to test the ingredients that went into making of this popular snack.

"In recent months, we had over 2,700 samples of Maggi noodles tested by several accredited laboratories in India and abroad. Each one of these tests have shown lead to be far below the permissible limits," the statement added.

The five samples tested by the Government Accredited Referral Food Laboratory, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysuru, on samples sent by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Goa, had also found similar results.

"Maggi noodles made in India have been tested and found to be safe for consumption by the authorities of several countries across the world."

The food safety regulator had ordered Nestle to withdraw Maggi noodles after some samples were reportedly found to contain higher-than-permissible levels of lead -- a finding that was rejected by the company, saying its own independent tests suggested otherwise.

The company had halted the production of Maggi noodles in its factories since June 5 and decided to withdraw it from the market.