The New Delhi government on Wednesday put a ban on the sale of Maggi noodles for 15 days. Prior to that, Indian government had banned sale of Maggi noodles at outlets of Kendriya Bhandar -- promoted by Central Government Employees Cooperative Society -- after 10 out of 13 samples were found to have contained high-level of lead. It has also asked Nestle India to recall all Maggi noodles circulated in New Delhi.Maggi noodles is available in different department stores, malls and even in retail shops in Nepal.
"We have already collected samples of Maggi noodles produced in Himanchal Pradesh and Uttarakhand states of India," Purna Chandra Osti, spokesperson of DoFTQC, told Republica. "We will take appropriate decisions after the lab test report comes out." Osti said the report is likely to come within two days.
The noodles brand came under scrutiny last month after the UP Food Safety and Drug Administration asked Nestle India to withdraw a batch of Maggi noodles produced in February last year after the brand was found using excessive amount of taste enhancer like monosodium glutamate (MSG) and excessive lead amount without proper labels.
Indian media outlets have reported that samples of Maggi noodles contained 17 ppm of lead which is almost seven times higher than the permissible limit.
Officials of the Department of Commerce and Supply Management (DoCSM) said that it would put ban on sales and import of Maggi noodles in Nepal if the laboratory test shows the noodle is 'inedible.' "We have been coordinating with DoFTQC on this issue," Hari Narayan Belbase, director of DoCSM, told Republica, adding, "We will put a ban on the brand by announcing a public notice if the test result confirms presence of higher-level of lead."
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