TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Adding to the woes of Nestle India Limited, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has found that yet another food product – ‘Maggie Oats Masala Noodles with Tastemaker’ had hit the shelves two years ago, without undertaking any safety assessment and product approval. This product is also popular among local consumers.
The notification issued by FSSAI, dated June 5, 2015, states, “Company is hereby directed to withdraw and recall the food product, ‘Maggie Oats Masala Noodle with Tastemaker’ for which risk/safety assessment has not been undertaken and ‘product approval’ has not been granted.”
The state Food and Drugs Administration that has already recalled nearly 600 kgs of a variety of Maggi products, has already instructed its officials to ensure the product is withdrawn and off shelves.
The FSSAI has already sent a show-cause to the company asking why product approval for nine varieties of Instant Noodles with Tastemaker should not be withdrawn.
The notification further listed out three major violations of FSS Act 2006. The notification states, “The three major violations are presence of lead detected in the product in excess of the maximum permissible levels of 2.2 parts per million, misleading labelling information on the package reading ‘No added MSG’, and release of non-standard food products in the market.”
However, the Nestle India defended itself, saying the testing protocol has not been followed and interpreted correctly.
As per the minutes of the meeting held on June 4, 2015, between the company representative and FSSAI, the company stated, “The whole controversy has been created on account of confusion and lack of proper understanding of the issue. The product contains two parts i.e the noodle and the Tastemaker. Samples of both components have been tested separately, whereas it should have been tested as a combined end product i.e the form in which it is finally consumed.”
The notification states that the product waslaunched without getting the ‘product approval’ under the FSS Act 2006. Countering this charge, the company has stated, “This product had been launched at a time when the advisory dated May 11, 2013 of the act was under stay, granted by the court.”
