New Delhi:
Kerala has ordered a pullout of Maggi noodles from government-run outlets and the Delhi government has said samples that it tested were found "unsafe," amid a country-wide scrutiny of the product for high content of lead and mono-sodium glutamate or MSG, a taste enhancer.
Here are the 10 latest developments in this story:
The Delhi government said high lead levels were detected in 10 out of 13 packets of Maggi noodles it sourced from around the National Capital Region and tested and five samples of the "masala" were found to contain MSG, though the label did not say so.
The Delhi government has said it has decided to initiate a case against Nestle, the company that manufactures Maggi noodles, "for sale of an unsafe product." It said it is also considering a fine for "misbranding," for not declaring MSG on the label.
Delhi health minister Satyendra Kumar Jain said, "The government will initiate action and will follow the legal course. Adulteration of any kind in food will not be tolerated." The state government has summoned Nestle officials and said more action could follow after detailed results of tests are received.
The president of Delhi's BJP unit, Satish Upadhyay, has demanded that Maggi be immediately recalled from the capital's markets.
As more states order tests, Goa's Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has said that the Maggi noodles samples it tested were found to be safe for human consumption. It said that the samples tested negative for MSG and lead content.
The Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation said its 1,424 outlets will temporarily stop the sale of Maggi noodles, till there is clarity on quality. Unsold stock, it said, will be returned to the company.
Haryana has ordered samples to be randomly lifted for testing, while Gujarat said it has sent 39 samples of Maggi noodles to be tested. West Bengal's food department has convened a meeting tomorrow. Samples are also being tested in Karnataka.
In Bihar today, a court ordered that a First Information Report, or FIR, be registered against Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta, who have featured in Maggi noodle advertisements, on a petition filed by a lawyer.
Maggi noodles has been at the centre of controversy since laboratory tests ordered by Uttar Pradesh food inspectors on a batch of the popular snack allegedly found eight times as much lead as permissible.
Nestle India has said that it has got samples of Maggi noodles tested in an external laboratory as well as in house and that the product was found "safe to eat".
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