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In what is seen as a blow to Switzerland-based consumer goods giant Nestle, the Uttarakhand food safety department has asked the company's Indian branch to stop producing Maggi noodles at its Pantnagar plant after samples failed laboratory tests. (This plant only makes the noodles.) The Nestle India spokesperson could not be contacted for comments. Email queries sent to him remained unanswered at the time of going to press.
Also, many states including Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Assam, Tamil Nadu and Jammu & Kashmir on Thursday banned sale of Maggi for up to three months. Delhi had already banned sale of the noodles for 15 days. Uttar Pradesh, where the Maggi controversy had broken out, is yet to ban the product.
A national recall could be ordered by Monday if at least six states send reports showing higher than permitted lead and monosodium glutamate (MSG) in Maggi, said Yudhvir Singh Malik, chief executive, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). So far, the food regulator under the Union health ministry has received reports showing violations only from two states - Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Among the other findings the regulator has got are the Kerala agencies tests showing permissible levels. Goa, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh have been told to quantify test results.
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"We are awaiting negative results from at least six states before we take a call", Malik said. At a marathon meeting with state food commissioners on Thursday, FSSAI discussed how to move ahead on the issue. State food and drug administrations (FDAs) have been told to formulate a routine short-term plan for conducting state-wise testing of all major consumable products.
After big retail chains such as Kishore Biyani's Big Bazaar took Maggi off their shelves on Wednesday, multinational wholesale companies such as Walmart and Metro, too, have stopped selling the noodles. Also, widening the impact of the controversy, state authorities have initiated testing of other noodle brands.
Uttarakhand Food Safety Department Commissioner Om Prakash said the ban would remain in force for 90 days. Like any other hill state, Uttarakhand, too, has several make-shift shops called Maggi Point that dish out boiling noodles to tourists and locals. Although an order has been issued to stop production at the Pantnagar plant in the state, it was not yet clear whether Nestle had done so yet. However, production had already been cut to 10 to 20 per cent of the usual in the last two-three days, sector sources said. Nestle had started making Maggi noodles at this plant in 2006.
The Tamil Nadu government has banned the sale not only Maggi but four other noodles brands for three months. Both production and sale of these noodles have been stopped. A government statement said besides Maggi, other brands such as Wai Wai Xpress Noodles, Reliance Select Instant Noodles, Smith and Jones Chicken Masala Noodles were tested, with all having violated norms.
Assam government on Thursday banned the chicken flavoured Maggi for 30 days after finding presence of MSG in the noodle. "We have found MSG in the Maggi Xtra-delicious Chicken during the tests at our lab. Accordingly we have decided to prohibit storage, distribution and sale of the product in the state for 30 days," Assam Principal Secretary (Health and Family Welfare) Sanjeeva Kumar told PTI.
Gujarat, too, banned Maggi for a month. State Health Minister Nitin Patel said Gujarat was also testing ITC's Sunfeast brand of instant noodles, as a few samples had failed safety tests for MSG. The state has not banned Sunfeast, as the samples tested did not contain lead beyond permissible limits but has decided to conduct further tests.
"We learn from news reports in Gujarat today (on Thursday) that a sample of Sunfeast Yippee! Noodles has passed the lead test. ITC Foods does not add MSG as an ingredient to YiPPee!. Glutamate is found in most common foods such as wheat flour, tomato, green peas, onions and even breast milk. Traces of glutamates may occur from the natural ingredients used in making the product. ITC's food products are of superior quality and completely safe for consumption as well as compliant with all regulations," the company said in an email response.
The action in Gujarat would not have any impact on Nestle's upcoming plant in Sanand, Patel clarified. Nestle is setting up a Rs 400-crore plant in the town, about 30 km away from Ahmedabad. Like Gujarat, the Jammu & Kashmir government has also banned the sale of Maggi for a month.
In contrast, Uttar Pradesh FDA Commissioner P K Singh told Business Standard: "We are not contemplating a ban on Maggi in the state as we have already taken action in the matter and ordered recall of the batch."
(With inputs from Virendra Singh Rawat in Lucknow)
