Headlines
India-made Maggi noodles banned in Bahrain; Goa bans Maggi
Dubai, June 7
Bahrain has imposed a ban on Indian manufactured Maggi noodles of Nestle, media reported on Sunday.
The
move follows a health ministry-ordered seizure of hundreds of packets
of Maggi noodles, which reportedly found their way on to shop shelves in
Bahrain through local traders, Gulf Daily News reported.
Maggi
noodles are at the centre of a health scare in India after laboratory
tests revealed they contained lead at levels far higher than the legal
maximum.
Last week, health officials cleared the noodle brand for
sale in Bahrain on the basis that most Maggi products available here
are made in Malaysia.
Samples taken from the market and tested in the laboratory had also come back negative for high levels of lead.
The
ministry has now ordered heightened vigilance at the country's ports to
ensure that no more of the Indian-manufactured noodles enter Bahrain,
Maryam Al Jalahma, primary care and public health assistant
under-secretary, said.
"Action was immediately taken by health inspectors to withdraw Indian-origin Maggi noodles from shops," she said.
"Our
move comes after health authorities in India announced a ban on the
noodles, since laboratory tests showed that the noodles contained lead
at levels far higher than the legal maximum."
"As a precaution,
samples of Maggi noodles manufactured in Malaysia, the main source for
Bahrain market, were subjected to laboratory analysis. Results revealed
the safety of such products for human consumption," she added.
Nestle Middle East has issued a statement to stress the safety of its products.
"All
our Maggi products in the Middle East are safe and compliant with the
highest quality standards," Nestle Middle East media relations manager
Lynn Al Khatib said.
"Food safety is Nestle's number one priority."
"We
do more food testing than any other entity in the world and have many
stringent controls to guarantee safety -- starting from the raw
materials we use, throughout processing to packaging," the manager
added.
Goa bans Maggi until further orders
Maggi noodles will be banned in Goa from Monday, as it was not proper to take risks with people's lives, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said on Sunday.Speaking to reporters in Mapusa, 10 km from Panaji, Parsekar said the decision to ban Maggi noodles was taken because "I feel it is not proper on my part to take risks with people's lives".
"Maggi will be banned from Goa from Monday until further orders," said Parsekar, who on Friday, along with the state Food Drugs Authority, had given the popular snack the green signal.
"Earlier, I was of the opinion to allow it to continue, but the way reports from other states are coming up, I feel it is not proper on my part to take risks with the lives of the natives," Parsekar said, announcing the ban.
Two tests conducted by the state FDA, which had given a clean chit to Maggi on both occasions, were rejected by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) which called the tests "inappropriate".
On FSSAI's directions, a Karnataka-based government laboratory will now conduct tests on Maggi manufactured in Nestle's unit in Bicholim sub-district, 30 km from Panaji.
Many states have already banned Maggi after tests showed the noodles contained more than stipulated levels of MSG and lead.
Karnataka too bans manufacture, sale of Maggi
Karnataka on Sunday became the latest state to ban manufacture and sale of Nestle's Maggi noodles following a central food watchdog directive."The Food Safety and
Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) directed us to temporarily stop
Nestle India from manufacturing or selling its noodles, including
variants, in the state as a precautionary measure to ensure public
health," state Health Minister U.T. Khader told IANS.
Though
preliminary results of tests conducted at a private lab here indicated
that the levels of lead in the noodles were below the permissible limit,
the state health department advised stakeholders to refrain from
marketing, distributing and selling the noodles, and also asked the
public not to consume it.
"We have also directed the company
(Nestle) to withdraw its Maggi stocks from all stores and retail formats
across the state. Stringent action will be taken against offenders,"
Khader said.
The Swiss food and beverages multinational has four
production units to make noodles, including a captive plant at Nanjungud
near Mysuru, about 180 km from here.
"We will consider further
action against the company after we get the final test report from the
central food laboratory in Kolkata," Khadar said.
After dithering
initially, the health department on June 1 picked up samples of Maggi
noodles from its manufacturing units and retail outlets, for tests by
the state-run Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI) at
Mysuru and two private laboratories in Bengaluru.
When CFTRI
declined to test the samples, citing jurisdiction and rules governing
it, the health department asked the private labs to ascertain the lead
and MSG (monosodium glutamate) content in Maggi noodles.
"We are
waiting for test reports on MSG content in Maggi from the private labs,
which is expected on Monday. If the tests confirm that it's harmful for
consumption, we will totally ban it (Maggi). We will also advise
eateries to remove it from menu," Khader reiterated.
According to
the regulator FSSAI, the multinational company violated three mandatory
conditions by having lead in excess of the permissible levels of 2.5
ppm (parts per million), misleading labelling information on the product
label and selling Maggi oats masala noodles without its approval.
The
private labs are Robust Materials Technology Ltd and TUV SUD labs,
accredited to the National Accreditation Board for Testing and
Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
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