)
Maggi noodles, in the middle of a controversy over the presence of excessive lead and monosodium glutamate (MSG), got mixed verdicts from states on Wednesday. The Centre, though, approached the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission on its own against the Indian arm of Swiss manufacturer Nestlé.
While the Delhi government has announced a “ban’’ on the noodles for 15 days and ordered testing of other noodle brands as well, agencies in Maharashtra, Goa and Kerala said no violations had been detected. Just a day ago, the Kerala agency had directed shops to remove Maggi. Big retailers, too, did not want to risk it and removed Maggi packets from stores.
Indian Army took a stand as well, to protect soldiers from the ill effects, if any, of Maggi. It issued an advisory, asking its canteens to stop selling Maggi packs and telling army personnel not to consume it.
At the Centre, the food and consumer affairs ministry lodged a written complaint with the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) against Nestlé, which manufactures Maggi.
“We have formally lodged a written complaint with NCDRC without waiting for the investigations to get over, as it is a serious issue concerning health of a large number of consumers,” Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said. NCDRC will give its ruling under the unfair trade practices section of the law. The commission can directly ask Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for an investigation report and also issue summons to Nestlé India officials. The NCDRC orders can only be challenged in the Supreme Court.
Retailers such as Big Bazaar took the lead in distancing themselves from Maggi. “In the interest of consumer sentiment and concerns, we have taken Maggi noodles off the shelves from all our stores for the time being. We will wait for more clarity from authorities to take any further course of action,” a Future Group spokesperson said.
Hypercity was among other big chains to remove the noodles from its stores. Maggi accounts for 30 per cent of Nestlé’s sales and generates revenue of Rs 1,500 crore.
Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain announced the 15-day ban on Maggi after meeting Nestlé India officials in the morning. The authorities were not satisfied with the company’s explanation, it is learnt.
“We have found up to 4.59 ppm (parts per million) of lead [compared with the allowed 2.5 ppm] in the tests we conducted in government-owned laboratories in the samples collected from various places [of the National Capital Region]”, Jain said. The national capital is also working towards initiating legal proceedings against Nestlé India under the food adulteration Act.
A notification is being issued to Nestlé India, directing the company to withdraw Maggi packs in the NCR area. Once new batches of the noodles arrive after 15 days, further tests would be conducted to assess these.
“I have informed the food safety commissioner and he will issue notification to the company on our decision,’’ Jain said. He added, ’’We will test all of the other noodle brands available in the market.”
A Nestlé India spokesperson confirmed its officials (including Sanjay Khajuria, senior vice-president, corporate affairs) met the minister. On the Delhi ban, he said, “We have not received any notification or orders from Delhi government. We can only comment on the issue once we receive any such order.”
On Tuesday, the Delhi government said Maggi was unsafe for consumption, as it contained lead beyond permissible limits. Of 13 samples of the masala (seasonings), 10 were unsafe. West Bengal, Haryana, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Telangana were among the states that confirmed sampling and testing of Maggi had begun. Even as the Food Safety and Drug Administration department of Tamil Nadu has lifted around 40 samples of Maggi for testing, it acted on a complaint by a person against the alleged contamination in NAN Pro-3, a milk power for infants made by Nestlé as well. Samples of the milk powder were lifted from locations in Coimbatore.
What could be a glimmer of hope for Nestlé is the Maharashtra government’s clearance on Wednesday. “We have taken some samples but have not found any negative reports. I am in constant touch with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Harshadeep Kamble on the issue,” Maharashtra Food and Civil Supplies Minister Girish Bapat said. In Goa, too, the Maggi samples have shown only permissible traces of the flavour enhancer MSG and lead, said the state’s Food and Drug Administration's Deputy Director Jyoti Sardesai.
As for brand endorsement, Amitabh Bachchan, against whom a court has ordered registration of a First Information Report for endorsing Maggi, said he would cooperate with “what the law says”, though he hasn't received any notice in connection with the product that he “stopped promoting” two years ago. Meanwhile, Nestlé India, which said it hadn’t got any official orders from state or central authorities so far, has started an “online information hub” to engage its customers and clear the air regarding allegations and findings by the government authorities.
On the Delhi government’s decision to test noodles of “all other brands”, the country’s biggest consumer goods maker, ITC, said its “food products are manufactured in state of the art, world-class facilities”. The company added tests had consistently shown its food products to be completely safe for consumption and in compliance with all regulations.
(With inputs from Chennai and Agencies)
