Top Ramen, Wai Wai, Sunfeast under lens

ITC says not got reports from any state on high lead content; internal tests not found excess metal

After Nestle's Maggi noodles, Indo Nissin Food's Top Ramen instant noodles, Sunfeast noodles from ITC and C G Foods India's Wai Wai have come under the scanner for containing lead beyond permissible limits of 2.5 parts per million (ppm). While Top Ramen tested positive for lead in samples taken from Daman and tested in Gujarat, the others were seen to be containing excess lead in samples tested in Tamil Nadu.

"We deny the report. In our internal testing we have not found a single instance of any sample exceeding the permissible levels of lead. We have not received reports from any state about lead levels being higher than the permissible levels. We also wish to reiterate the fact that we have received no intimation from the concerned authority about the matter. Any report to the contrary by any authority without following the legal provisions for a proper enquiry after providing due opportunity to the company would be irresponsible and vexatious, causing harm to the reputation of our company," an ITC spokesperson said. According to Gujarat’s food and drug commissioner H G Koshia, of the 14 samples of various noodles from Daman Silvassa region, one sample of Top Ramen contained excess lead. “Daman sends samples for testing here. We received test reports for 36 samples of instant noodles last week, of which 14 were from Daman. While all samples had monosodium glutamate, one sample of Top Ramen contained lead beyond the permissible limits,” he said.

Daman's food safety officer Dipak Tandel said: “We have written to the company and will inform the food regulator. The sample of Top Ramen contained 3.5 ppm of lead.” Tandel did not clarify whether more tests would be done or if the brand would be withdrawn.

Samples tested at Chennai showed tastemakers of Maggi, Top Ramen, Sunfeast and Wai Wai had up to 3.4 ppm of lead. “In Maggi noodles (cake), we have found lead at less than 0.1 ppm level,” said D K Jawaharlal of Food Analysis Laboratory, Chennai. Indo Nissin Food's managing director Gautam Sharma said in an e-mailed response: “Top Ramen has been in the Indian market for over 24 years with no product safety issues during all this time. As per news reports available as of now, Top Ramen has been tested by Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Punjab government labs and found to be free of lead. We are cooperating fully with all government agencies and state FDA (food and drug authorities) during this period of product safety testing. We take great care in our regulatory compliance and in ensuring the highest standards of quality in our manufacturing process... We are awaiting the results of testing from all quarters and hope to continue to provide safe and affordable food products to the Indian consumer.” Earlier, scientists from Nestle's testing lab for the southeast Asian region claimed Maggi noodles contain 0.01-0.03 ppm of lead. A scientist from the lab told Business Standard: “… when prepared, the noodle will contain negligible amount of lead because, by volume, tastemaker forms very little part of the entire dish”.

After the Maggi controversy surrounding monosodium glutamate and lead sparked off a debate across the country, the Rs 3,800-crore instant noodles market in India (considered the world's fifth largest) has started to lose its sheen. After the FSSAI ordered Nestle to withdraw Maggi noodles in June following reports of Maggi samples testing positive for lead and monosodium glutamate started surfacing around April, another leading consumer goods player, Hindustan Unilever, decided to recall its Chinese range of Knorr instant noodles in mid-June since the product was not approved by FSSAI.

Indo Nissin Foods is a subsidiary of Japan's Nissin Foods Holding Company and was incorporated in 1988. Its first production unit started at Jigani, Bengaluru in 1991. The company has two more production units at Haryana and Odisha. Nissin's Japanese founder Momofuku Ando invented 'Chicken Ramen', the world's first instant noodles, in 1958, according to the company's website.