Maggi in soup: Centre scanner on Nestle India, UP FDA to file case

UP FDA had picked up in Barabanki a batch of Maggi contaminated with lead and monosodium glutamate

The Union ministry of consumer affairs on Friday jumped into the controversy surrounding the reportedly high levels of monosodium glutamate (MSG) and lead in Nestle's famous noodle brand Maggi. It said it had directed the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to take note, as it concerned the health of a large section of consumers.

“A class action suit can be initiated into the matter if a complaint is made to NCDRC,” consumer affairs minister Ram Vilas Paswan said on Friday.

Read more from our special coverage on "NESTLE MAGGI CONTROVERSY"

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• Nestle disappointed over Centres class action suit
• US FDA clears Nestles Maggi noodles
• Maggi imbroglio: 20k kg of noodles in Banthara was not for sale
• Govt moves consumer panel; seeks Rs 640 crore in damages from Nestle

The Uttar Pradesh Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is also filing a case against Nestle India at a district court at Barabanki, from where it had collected the “contaminated” samples, UP FDA additional commissioner (administration) Ram Araj Maurya told Business Standard on Friday. Barabanki FDA designated officer V K Pandey confirmed they have completed preliminary homework to present a case before the court.

The UP FDA continues to collect random Maggi samples for investigation. So far, it has collected about a dozen samples from Lucknow and is checking if these are ‘clean’. “The reports of three such samples have come and they have tested negative. Reports of the remaining samples are awaited,” Maurya said. There are six FDA labs in UP at Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Meerut, Varanasi, Agra and Jhansi.

Last month, the UP FDA had asked Nestle India to withdraw a batch of Maggi noodles "manufactured in February 2014" after it said it had found high levels of added MSG, a taste enhancer, in the noodles and lead beyond permissible limits.
‘Class-action suits on firms misleading consumers’

The Union consumer affairs ministry said it would lodge class-action suits against companies against which complaints of misleading advertisements are filed. The ministry has received 116 complaints of violation of consumer rights since it launched its website. Of these, 27 are related to health, 24 are related to education and nine are related to real estate.

BS Reporter