New Delhi: Nestle India today said it has not received any order from the central or any state FDA authority for recall of its Maggi noodles as the controversy over safety issues deepened.
“We have not received any official communication from the authorities so far,” the company said in a BSE filing. It further said: “We wish to state that we have till now not received any orders from any state/Centre FDA authorities to recall Maggi noodle products in the market except an order from the Uttar Pradesh FDA dated 30.4.2015 asking us to recall a batch of Maggi noodles manufactured in February 2014, which had already reached the ‘Best Before date' in November 2014.”
Meanwhile, Kishore Biyani-led Future Group today stopped selling Maggi in its retail stores.
“In the interest of consumer sentiment and concerns, we have taken Maggi noodles off the shelves from all our stores for the time being. We will wait for more clarity from authorities to take any further course of action,” a Future Group spokesperson said.
Modern trade retail outlets like Big Bazaar contribute a large chunk of sales for FMCG firms, including Nestle. Nestle India, which has been at the receiving end with several state governments ordering tests to find out lead and monosodium glutamate (MSG) content in Maggi noodles, said it's “cooperating with the authorities”.
Yesterday, the Delhi government decided to initiate a case against Nestle India after it found samples of Maggi noodles “unsafe” for consumption. The probe into alleged lapses has already widened to different parts of the country. However, Nestle India claimed that it has got samples tested in an external laboratory as well as its in-house one, and the product is found “safe to eat”.
In Karnataka, Health Minister U T Khader said officials have been directed to randomly lift samples of Maggi noodles for laboratory testing. Haryana, too, ordered the same. The West Bengal Food department has convened a meeting tomorrow to take a call on the issue.
Meanwhile, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is undertaking more tests in the wake of the findings of Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration. Earlier this week, the Consumer Affairs Ministry said strict action will be taken for any violation.
A case has already been lodged against Nestle India by UP food regulator FSDA in a Barabanki court in UP.
Actors Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta were also separately dragged into the matter for endorsing the noodles brand.
