Govt asks Food Safety body to probe Maggi

Taking “serious” note of quality issues related to global giant Nestle’s noodle brand Maggi, the government has asked the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to look into the matter.

“We have received complaints regarding Maggi and have referred them to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI),” Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said here on Friday.

“The Consumer Affairs Ministry, Health Ministry and FSSAI will proceed in a coordinated manner to address the issue,” he added.

Recalling packets Officials from the Uttar Pradesh Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had, on April 30, asked the Swiss company to recall one batch containing 200,000 packets of the popular noodles that was produced in February 2014, after it found 17.20 parts per million (ppm) of lead against the 2.5 ppm norm for food items and elevated levels of artificially added MSG.

Notice to Madhuri Dixit Meanwhile, actor Madhuri Dixit was served a notice by the Uttarakhand FDA for endorsing the “2-minute noodles” brand.

The 48-year-old actor has been asked to respond within 15 days to an advertisement which highlighted Maggi’s nutritional value, an agency report said.

A Food Security Officer of the Haridwar FDA said a case could be registered against Dixit if she failed to respond to the notice within the stipulated time-period.

More tests Three other State governments, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka, have also said they will test samples of the product.