BENGALURU:The Karnataka government on Monday lifted the ban on the sale of Maggi noodles. However, consumers will have to wait a little longer since the new stocks will have to be tested before they are released into the market.
Maggi, a noodle brand of Nestle, was banned in June following a directive of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Gujarat too lifted the ban on the noodles on Monday.
Announcing the decision, Health and Family Welfare Minister U T Khader said the ban would be lifted with immediate effect as none of the food-testing laboratories had quantified the extent of lead and monosodium glutamate (MSG) content in Maggi.
The Health Department plans to take all precautionary measures to ensure that noodles from the old stock are not pushed into the market. “Keeping in mind public health, only fresh products will be allowed into the market after testing them for lead and MSG content,” the minister assured.
Meanwhile, in an official statement, Nestle India said, “Re-starting the manufacturing process and bringing Maggi noodles to the market is a lengthy and complex process, which requires alignment with stakeholders, including our suppliers, distributors and retailers among others.”
“Five of our eight plants have the capacity to manufacture Maggi noodles and all of them use state-of-the-art technology, follow the same stringent standards, are FSSC 22000 certified and all the Nestle India plants maintain the same high quality. We will activate the process for manufacturing Maggi noodles at Nanjangud in Karnataka and other locations,” the company stated.
No Pressure, Says Khader
When asked whether the government was under pressure to lift the ban on Maggi in view of the Global Investors Meet to be held in Bengaluru next year, Khader said the Health Department had sought an opinion from the Central Food Laboratory in Kolkata four months ago on the level of MSG and lead in the noodles.
As there was no update from the laboratory till date and in the absence of specific directions from the Centre, the state government had decided to withdraw the ban on Maggi. “The government was not under any pressure from any quarters and did not show any extra-interest in lifting the ban. It is a duly considered decision,” Khader clarified.
The department had sought an opinion from the laboratory in Kolkata after Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysuru, refused to accept the samples, citing jurisdictional reasons.
Nestle Unit Starts Trial Run
The Nestle unit in Nanjangud, which caters to southern states, will start its Maggi noodles production soon.
Nestle India passed the safety test after laboratories nominated by the Bombay court found lead within the permissible limits in samples of six variants of Maggi noodles that were sent for testing.
The unit, where 400 workers produce 75 tonnes of noodles a day, has started a trial run. Though the company had relieved 250 casual labourers following the shutdown of its production unit, the company’s HR unit has now started hiring people to restart production.
Sources said the production will start in a full phase once the samples produced during the trial run are tested and cleared by the laboratories.
The factory has also placed an order for atta and other ingredients to start production, which will cater to parts of Andhra Pradesh, Telanaga, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.