The Bihar government today banned the sale of Maggi noodles in the state for a month after a similar measure taken by several other states.
"We are banning sale, purchase, distribution and display of Maggi noodles in Bihar for a month after receiving information that the product has been banned in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and several other states over presence of heavy metal lead and MSG in it," state Food Safety Commissioner Anand Kishor told reporters here.
He said the decision was taken in the light of the fact that it was not manufactured in Bihar, but brought from other states for distribution and sale here.
"This leaves a high probability of the presence of lead, which is dangerous for human consumption, and MSG, another harmful chemical in the product. Presence of these harmful substances has been found in laboratory tests conducted in other states," Kishor added.
The Food Safety Commissioner said the decision to ban Maggi noodles has been taken under section 30 of Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006.
Citing that the state government has so far sent 27 samples of Maggi to a private laboratory in Kolkata for tests and the results were awaited, Kishore said, "The ban has been imposed as a precautionary measure as the state government did not want to jeopardise the life and health of the people."
With state after state banning Maggi over the presence of lead and 'MSG', Nestle today said it is withdrawing the product from Indian market due to "unfounded confusions" that has affected the consumer trust, but maintained that its noodles are safe for consumption.
