Headlines
'Other noodle brands, pasta will also be tested'
By
Muhammad Zulqarnain ZulfiNew Delhi, June 8
After ordering the recall of
Maggi noodles, the food safety watchdog on Monday said it will not only
test the samples of other instant noodle brands, including the imported
ones, but also extend such checks to pastas like macaroni.
The watchdog also said it was not considering action against Maggi brand ambassadors for now.
"Overseas
and local manufacturers would be treated equally. More noodle brands
including pasta and macaroni products will also start getting tested
this week," Yudhvir Singh Malik, the chief executive of the Food Safety
and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), told IANS.
"As of
now, we are not considering any action against the brand ambassadors
associated with the Nestle's Maggi noodles," Malik added.
Following
tests on some samples of Maggi, the watchdog on Friday had ordered the
recall of all the nine variants of Maggi pan-India and had asked Nestle
to halt its production and exports. It had also issued a similar order
on Nestle's oats noodles and tastemaker.
While Nestle continued
to contend that its noodles were safe for human and that the levels of
lead were within permissible limits - as opposed to the findings of some
tests that purportedly indicated otherwise - several states also became
pro-active by issuing their own ban orders.
Malik also detailed the process involved in the recall of food products.
"Ideally,
consumers should be able to return the product at the retail outlet and
get their money back if they have the bill with them. It is also
Nestle's responsibility to let the consumers return their products, if
they have kept the bill with them," he said.
The regulator also
plans to post a list of all approved noodle products on its website and
advise the state authorities to test them. "We understand Delhi, Gujarat
and Tamil Nadu have already started testing other brands. We will list
all the approved noodle products soon."
He further said that
Nestle had been asked to give the regulator an update on compliance
first after three days and then regularly until the end. "Because we
understand that it could take 10 days or more, we will be taking regular
progress reports from the company."
(Muhammad Zulqarnain Zulfi can be reached at [email protected])