New Delhi: There is more trouble for Maggi as it could be staring at an all India ban. The Food Standard and Safety Authority of India has written to all states to pick up samples of Maggi from the market and test whether the company has followed prescribed standards or not.
The order was issued last week and the Commissioners have to submit their report in the first week of June. The report from Maharashtra, from where samples were collected last week, is expected on Tuesday.
Maggi noodles came under the scanner in May after the Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration asked Nestle India to withdraw a batch of Maggi noodles "which were manufactured in February 2014". The order came after presence of non-essential taste enhancer MSG and high levels of lead were found in the samples.
Disputing the claim, Nestle India had said, "The company does not agree with the order and is filing the requisite representations with the authorities."
Meanwhile, the Union Food and Consumer Affairs Ministry has also asked the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to look into the matter. Besides, a class action suit can be initiated into the matter if a complaint with National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) is filed, Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said last week.
"It is a serious issue. We have referred the matter to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Under the current law, FSSAI has the power to take action, including imposing fine and hefty punishment," Paswan said.
A case was lodged against Nestle India in a local court in Barabanki (UP), while actors Amitabh Bachhan, Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta have also been separately dragged to the court for promoting Maggi brand.
While the case against Nestle India and five others was filed by the UP food regulator FSDA (Food Safety and Drug Administration), a local advocate filed a separate case against the three cine personalities.
The case was lodged against the company's Nestle Nangal Kalan Industrial Area unit (Haroli, Una in HP), Delhi-based Nestle India Limited, an Easy Day outlet in Barabanki and the Delhi-based parent firm Easy Day, as also against and their FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) managers, Mohan Gupta and Shabab Alam.
The UP FSDA had collected the samples from the Easy Day store in Barabanki and had sent the consignment for testing, which showed that the quantum of lead present was 17 times more than the stipulated limit, which is considered hazardous.
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