BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh government has banned the sale of popular instant food Maggi noodles in the state from today, as the popular instant snack came under mounting scrutiny over food safety concerns.
"Till it is proved that Maggi noodles are not harmful for the health, there will be a ban in the state on the sale of this noodle," Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told reporters at the Mantralaya after a meeting with Union Chemicals and Fertiliser Minister Anant Kumar.
The Union Minister is in the city to lay the foundation stone of Plastic Park at Tamot in Raisen district which is the part of Vidisha Lok Sabha constituency.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj who represents Vidisha in the Lok Sabha will also be present on the occasion.
The state government has decided to ban the sale of Maggi noodles after its samples failed laboratory tests.
The sale of Maggi noodles is already banned in Nepal, Delhi and four more states of Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand after concerns were raised over presence of monosodium glutamate (MSG) and lead beyond permissible levels in the product.
Chouhan said that the ban will continue as long as it is bad for health. Once it is clarified that it is fit for consumption, then the state will take a fresh call on the issue, he added.