Headlines
Maggi will return to retail shelves soon: Paswan
New Delhi, Aug 6
Despite the stand taken by the
food safety watchdog, Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on
Thursday said he was hopeful that Nestle's Maggi will be back on the
shelves soon, drawing comfort from favourable test reports for the top
instant noodles brand from some accredited laboratories.
"The
latest tests conducted by Central Food Technological Research Institute
(CFTRI) has found Maggi safe. I have a gut feeling it will return to
retail shelves soon," Paswan said of the margins of a conference on fast
moving consumer goods, hosted by Assocham here.
He was alluding
to the test reports from the Mysore facility of the lab, which gave is
report based on the samples sent to it by the Goa food safety
department. The minister's comments also come against he backdrop of the
food safety regulator declining to take note of the latest report.
Paswan
made it clear that consumer interest will be paramount while deciding
on the matter pertaining to ban against Maggi, while expressing concern
over the negative perception such developments have created in the minds
of the potential foreign investors.
"I am worried. After Maggi
ban the perception of people changed. Foreign investors will also now
think twice before investing in India. Our credibility is at stake," he
said, adding: "But all this is possible to rectify only after addressing
all concerns. The concerns of our consumers is most important."
Speaking in Hindi, he also sought to use an analogy.
"We
cannot take everything for granted. The whole Maggi episode is like
what happens after the rains -- pots made of mud get destroyed, but
utensils made from steel and brass shine. I hope Maggi will start
shining again," he told IANS.
The Food Safety and Standards
Authority of India (FSSAI) on Wednesday said Nestle India had not been
given a clean chit regarding its noodles and that its ban order of June 5
was still operative, despite a noted lab in Karnataka reportedly
finding the snack to be safe.
But following the favourable test
reports, Goa Deputy Chief Minister Francis D'Souza aaid he favoured a
re-think on the ban since it was certified laboratory that found the
popular instant noodle to be safe for consumption. "Why should you ban
something when it is safe? If it was not safe I could have understood."
India's
official food regulator on June 5 had banned the sale of Maggi after an
allegedly high amount of lead and monosodium glutamate (MSG) were found
in samples. Following that, Nestle withdrew all variants of the noodle,
while continuing to maintain that its products were safe.
On the
latest matter, Nestle has refrained from making any comment, on the
ground that the matter was sub judice. The Bombay High Court is hearing
the matter.