Paswan retracts from his remark on Maggi's return

Union Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Friday said he never made any comment that Maggi noodles will soon return to the market.

Clarifying his stand, the minister said he neither mentioned the test reports of Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) nor about the credibility of the government relating to foreign investment.

"Paswan has clarified that he has been quoted out of context and has been attributed things which he never meant," the food and consumer affairs ministry said in a statement.

Earlier, a section of media quoted the minister as saying, "CFTRI reports have found Maggi safe. I have a gut feeling it will return to retail shelves soon."

"The minister has also been misquoted as saying, 'After Maggi ban the perception of people has changed. Foreign investors will also now think twice before investing in India. Our credibility is at stake'," the statement said.

The minister only said once public perception becomes negative about a product, credibility of that product gets affected, it added.

India's food regulator on June 5 banned the sale of Maggi after an allegedly high amount of lead and monosodium glutamate (MSG) were found in samples.

Following that, Nestle withdrew all variants of the noodle, while continuing to maintain that its products were safe.