The Uttar Pradesh administration has levied a fine of Rs.62 lakh on packaged food maker Nestle India for alleged ash content in the Maggi noodles. Nestle said that its instant food Maggi noodles is 100 percent safe for consumption. A spokesperson from Nestle India said in a statement that no ash is added to Maggi noodles at any stage of the manufacturing process.
Nestle India is an arm of Swiss packaged food maker said that Maggi noodles are fully compliant with standards laid by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for instant noodles. FSSAI has laid standards for packaged foods like pasta, seasoning and instant noodles that all the packaged food makers are required to meet.
Ash Content in Maggi Noodles Above Permissible Limits
The Uttar Pradesh district administration alleged that the ash content in Maggi noodles is above the limits permissible for human consumption. The ash content has been detected and found above the permissible limits in the tests conducted at a state government lab.
A spokesperson from Nestle India said that they have not yet received the order regarding the matter from the adjudication officer. He added that the relevant food samples have been taken from the year 2015 for which the issue pertains to ash content.
Maggi Noodles Banned in 2015
Two years ago, the FSSAI banned the Maggi noodles for the amount of lead above the permissible limits and the mislabelling of a flavor enhancer. Maggi Noodles had gone out of the shelves for more than five months and almost wiping out all the products in instant noodles category.
This was the biggest controversy faced by the Indian arm of the Nestle, the world’s largest packaged food maker. Nestle India lost over INR 1000 crore in Maggi noodles sales with a huge impact on its brand image. Following the ban, Nestle India destroyed 30,000 tonnes of packaged Maggi noodles and reported the loss in the 2015 April June quarter. This was the first loss for Nestle India in the last three decades.
Maggi noodles made a comeback in the market by in November 2015 after obtaining multiple clearances from the government laboratories and returned to the top in instant noodles category within a year. Despite such controversies, Maggi is still the top instant noodle brand among the customers.
Source: economictimes
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