No 'ash-content' in Maggi, 100% safe: Nestle India

FMCG major Nestle India on Wednesday said no amount of ash-content is added to its snack brand Maggi noodles at any stage of the manufacturing process and that the noodles brand is "100 per cent safe for consumption".

"We wish to reassure our consumers that Maggi noodles are 100 per cent safe for consumption. We strongly reiterate that at no stage of the manufacturing process, ash is added to Maggi noodles," a Nestle India spokesperson said in an email statement.

The statement was given in context to an ongoing issue in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanapur where the district administration had slapped a huge fine on the company and its distributors after its popular noodles brand Maggi allegedly failed to pass a lab test.

THe FMCG major maintained that it was "a case of applying standards basis an old advisory issued in 2015".

"While we have not yet received the order passed by the Adjudication Officer, we understand from the information available that the relevant samples are of the year 2015 and the issue pertains to 'ash content'," said the spokesperson, adding that the noodles brand was fully compliant with the standards for instant noodles, pasta and seasoning laid down by the food regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).

In June 2015, Nestle India was forced to withdraw the noodle product from the market following a ban by the FSSAI for allegedly containing lead beyond permissible limits. However, the noodles brand was back in the market in November 2015 after many legal battles.

--IANS

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Porisma P. GogoiCorrespondent (Business)

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