Centre seeks Report; Gujarat bans Maggi for 30 Days

Shimla/Gandhinagar, June 4 (IANS): The Gujarat FDA on Thursday banned Maggi noodles for 30 days after samples of the popular snack food failed tests.

The Gujarat health minister told the media of the development after 27 out of 39 samples were detected with objectionable levels of metallic lead, among other things.

People held protests against the multinational Nestle which manufactures Maggi brand of noodles and shopkeepers withdrew the brand from shelves in the state.

The central government has sought reports from all states on the controversy over the quality of Maggi noodles, Health Minister J.P. Nadda said on Thursday.

The health minister said that once the central government gets the reports, a decision will be taken on the future course of action regarding the popular snack that has been pulled off sales counters after high lead content was found in samples.

“We have asked for a report from all the state governments on Maggi,” Nadda told a press conference here.

“The reports are expected to come by today (Thursday) evening, after which we will be able to take a decision,” he said.

Asked about checking the safety standards of other packaged food products, the health minister said “it is a continuous process”.

The Delhi government on Wednesday banned Maggi noodles for 15 days as Nestle India, the manufacturer of the popular snack, battled controversy with many more states ordering tests after an Uttar Pradesh lab reported that samples of the noodles contained more than the permissible limit of lead.

Bihar, Punjab, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha on Wednesday joined Maharashtra, Haryana, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh which have sent Maggi noodle samples for tests.