LUCKNOW: After Maggi noodles, Nestle’s pasta has now landed in trouble as its samples, tested at a state-owned food testing laboratory, were found to be carrying lead beyond permissible limits, a state government official said.
Pasta samples collected from Nestle distributor — Sriji Traders — here on June 10, were sent to a government food testing laboratory in Lucknow, said Arvind Yadav, Designated Officer at Food and Drug Administration Mau.
The company, however, said its products are safe to consume.
“We will work with the authorities to resolve the situation as quickly as possible,” Nestle India said in a statement.
“After Maggi, the sample of macroni pasta was taken from Mau and sent to National Food Analysis Laboratory, Lucknow in which the lead was found to be much more that the permissible limit,” Yadav said.
“According to report received on September 2, they failed the tests,” the officer said.
“The standard limit is 2.5 PPM (parts per million) while it has been found to be 6 PPM. The letter informing Nestle company sent at its Modinagar address has come back here undelivered,” Yadav said.
Yadav also showed the undelivered letter to media persons.
He also said, “On the basis of the report, this food product now comes under the ‘unsafe food category’.”
“The report has been sent to the FDA Commissioner (Lucknow) on October 12 for sanction to lodge a case and in case it is received, it will be filed in the court of the CJM here,” Yadav said.
The official, to questions, said, “It can also lead to banning the product.”
“They (Nestle) were sent a letter over a month ago, intimating them about the results. They had a month’s time to appeal against the test but the letter sent by the FDA was not received by the company and was returned here,” Yadav said. Meanwhile, District Magistrate Vaibhav Srivasatav also said, “The sample which has failed the test is of June and we will take immediate action on the directives… we are in touch (with the authorities) on phone.”
In its statement, Nestle said, “We have not received any formal notification from the authorities in UP or from the FSSAI about such results.”
Stating that Maggi Pazzta is 100 per cent safe, the company further said, “The finished product and the raw materials used to make it undergo rigorous testing during every stage of the manufacturing process.”
In June, Nestle had to take Maggi noodles off the shelves, after some states decided to ban it.
The move came after Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had banned Maggi instant noodles, terming them “unsafe and hazardous” for human consumption.
However, the Bombay High Court later ordered lifting of the ban and fresh tests, which the product cleared.
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