Guwahati lab terms instant noodle sample as 'misbranded'

Three days after the Bombay High Court's order, a Guwahati laboratory which tested samples of an MNC instant noodle product from Mizoram termed it as 'misbranded', state Joint Director (Food and Drugs Administration) Lalsawma today said.
Lalsawma told PTI that the samples from Mizoram were sent to the Assam Public Health Laboratory in Guwahati and the results were recently received in Aizawl in which Mono Sodium Glutamate (Ajinomoto) was found.
"While the MNC major claimed that the instant noodle packages did not contain Mono Sodium Glutamate, the laboratory tests came out positive of the chemical," he said, adding that the laboratory labelled the samples from Mizoram as 'misbranded'.

The report of the laboratory would now be sent to the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI), he added.
The reports came in the wake of the Bombay High Court on Thursday setting aside the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) ban order on Maggi noodles and having told the food authority to justify the ban on six variants of the product.
However, Nestle will not be able to sell its marquee product just yet, the court had ruled, adding that preserved samples will now have to be tested in three different labs located in Jaipur, Mohali and Hyderabad in a span of 6 weeks.

The company will have to send five samples of each batch to three food testing labs and will not be allowed to either manufacture or sell until the tests are completed, the HC order stipulated.
The FSSAI had found high amounts of lead and traces of MSG in Nestle's Maggi and on June 5, and ordered a ban on the noodles that was quickly followed by Maharashtra FDA. Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavour enhancer added to various packaged food items.