Decision on damages to depend on FSSAI report: Govt on Maggi

Govt has filed a complaint, using a provision for the first time from the nearly three-decade-old Consumer Protection Act

Having dragged Nestle to NCDRC over Maggi issue, the government today said it will decide on the damages to be sought from the company after taking into account inputs from the food safety regulator FSSAI.

"The Department of Consumer Affairs made a reference to the NCDRC in this matter. Now after getting all details and reports from FSSAI, the next course of action will be to file a formal complaint in NCDRC," the new Consumer Affairs Secretary C Viswanath told PTI.

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Last week, Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan had announced that the government has filed a complaint on its own with the NCDRC, using a provision for the first time from the nearly three-decade-old Consumer Protection Act.

Asked whether the Centre will seek damages from Nestle India, the Secretary said: "Once the reports from FSSAI come, then I will be in a position to tell you."

According to the Consumer Protection Act, NCDRC takes up only those complaints where the value of the goods or services and compensation, if any claimed, exceeds Rs one crore.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued an order on Friday banning all variants of Nestle India's Maggi noodles terming them as "unsafe and hazardous" for human consumption.

Sources said the Ministry's complaint against Nestle India would be for unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements. It is also consulting Law Ministry for filing the complaints.

"For the first time, we are taking action under Section 12-1-D of the Consumer Protection Act, under which both Centre and states have powers to file complaints," Paswan had said.

Nestle India recalled Maggi from the markets after several states banned the famous '2-minute' instant food brand as tests showed that it contained taste enhancer MSG (Mono Sodium Glutamate) and lead in excess of the permissible limits.