The existence of live weevils and larvae in the cereal, Cerelac, procured from a pharmaceutical outlet near Perur has only heaped more misery on Nestle after the recent controversy over Maggi noodles. The findings should send a shiver down the spine of young parents who are overly dependent on the product to feed their infants. That the expiry date – February 2016 – on the box of the cereal was still far away only casts aspersions on the company’s integrity and quality control methods.
Besides, Nestle as a top brand has betrayed consumer trust and can ill-afford to cut such a sorry figure time and time again. There could be umpteen such boxes and tins containing live larvae which are invisible to the naked eye and consumers would do well to stay away from packaged food and stick to home-made preparations instead.
N J Ravi Chander, Bengaluru
