 "Baba Ramdev's noodles in FSSAI soup, regulator says not approved: Indian Express")
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev's brand of instant atta noodles, pegged as a cheaper alternative to existing brands, has run into trouble within a day of its launch.
The Indian Express reported on Wednesday that Patanjali Ayurved's atta noodles have not received approval from the Food Safety and Regulatory Authority of India (FSSAI).
“Patanjali Atta Noodles has not got product approvals from us. The matter has been brought to our notice. We are pursuing it,” Ashish Bahuguna, FSSAI chairperson who also holds additional charge as its CEO, told The Indian Express.
According to an India Today report on Wednesday, Baba Ramdev's spokesperson A K Tijarawala said, "According to the rules notified by FSSAI itself in August this year, there is no legal binding to take separate licence for launching noodles. We will react to it with proper documents shortly," he added.
Commenting on reports that the Patanjali noodles packets at the Monday launch were flaunting “FSSAI licence number 10014012000266”, Bahuguna told The Indian Express : “How can licence be given for a product that has not been approved? Licences are issued by the state government to manufacture certain items. But approvals for (non-standardised) products are given by us. That approval was not taken. I do not know how the licence was procured.”
Patanjali's atta noodles was launched at Rs 15 per packet on November 16 even as Nestle's Maggi noodles returned to shops across India after a 5-month ban.