Centre pulls plug on Maggi

India's food regulator ordered a total recall of all nine variants of Maggi, the best-selling instant noodles brand. This is the first ever recall of a popular food product in India.
The dispute has placed the processed food industry , regulators, government, and even consumers in uncharted territory.
The Food Standards and Safety Authority of India (FSSAI) which is entrusted with ensuring that all food in India is safe, issued an eight page statement pointing out three “major“ violations by Nestle, and kept its options open for prosecution on these counts under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006.
The violations are -presence of lead in the product in excess of the maximum permissible levels of 2.5 parts per million (ppm), misleading consumers by printing “No added MSG“ on the Maggi packets and release of Maggi Oats Masala Noodles in the market without risk assessment and grant of product approval. Simultaneously, Maggi producer Nestle India, which controls over 60% of the instant noodles market in the country , announced a withdrawal of Maggi from the shelves “despite it being safe“ and only because of “unfounded concerns“ and “an environment of confusion for the consumer“. A high-level Nestle delegation, led by its global CEO, met FSSAI officials at their Delhi headquarters on Thursday and disputed the claims about lead being found in the product, the MSG content and the Maggi oats noodles issue.
According to Nestle, Maggi noodles packs contain a tastemaker sachet and the noodles cake. Both parts put together should be tested for lead levels, not separately . FSSAI has rejected this and said that they will test the product as it is sold--in two parts--not as it is processed by the consumer.
Dismissing Nestle's claim regarding the advisory “No added MSG“ printed on Maggi packs, the FSSAI said that rules require that no additional information than required by law should be given on packages so that consumers are not confused. It quoted from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) document saying that many food items contain glutamate in natural form (like cereals) and it is not correct to declare that there is no added MSG when such products are being added. This, according to FSSAI, is misleading the consumers. On the Maggi oats noodles issue, the FSSAI strongly came down on Nestle, saying they launched a new product without going through the due process of risk assessment and approval, violating the law.
The FSSAI has called upon Nestle to “re-ascertain the safety of its products“ as per the law. It has also told Nestle to show cause within 15 days as to why permission to produce Maggi noodles should not be withdrawn. Nestle has been asked to report to the FSSAI on a daily basis. As indicated by the regulator, food safety commissioners in states are free to launch prosecutions against Nestle for violation of the law.So, Nestle appears to be heading for a tough time.