NEW DELHI: Barely a few weeks after Maggi was out of retail shelves over safety and regulatory issues, trouble was now brewing for Top Ramen, another instant noodles brand. On orders from the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), Indo Nissin, the company that manufactures Top Ramen, on Monday announced the withdrawal of its product from the market.
On June 8, FSSAI came out with an advisory on product safety testing of all instant noodle products in India after lead was found beyond permissible limits in the 2-minute Maggi noodles along with taste enhancer Monosodium glutamate. “At that time, we had sought clarification from FSSAI since Top Ramen product approval is pending with the regulator. They have requested us to withdraw the product until they give the approval,” Gautam Sharma, Indo Nissin Foods Pvt Ltd Managing Director, said.
He further said Top Ramen was extensively tested in the last few weeks. “We have conducted tests at two FSSAI accredited independent laboratories and shared the results with the regulatory body. While many Top Ramen samples have been tested by various state FDAs, only in two cases slightly higher lead level has been found in the tastemaker,” Sharma added.
Instant noodles have attracted attention of regulators after FSSAI banned Maggi. The food regulator handed over to states a blacklist containing at least 32 products from Tata Starbucks, a cereal from Kellogg’s and poultry products from Venky’s.
The list of around 500 products rejected by FSSAI was also handed over to food safety commissioners. Hindustan Unilever also recalled its ‘Knorr’ noodles pending FSSAI approval, at the time when Maggi was banned.