Nestle India, the manufacturer of Maggi noodles, says it has all strict safety and quality controls in place. (Representational image)
Nestle India Ltd has denied that food inspectors in Uttar Pradesh have ordered the company to recall a batch of Maggi noodles on the grounds that it contained dangerous levels of lead.
The Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) in Uttar Pradesh said high lead content was found during routine tests on two dozen packets of instant noodles, manufactured by Nestle India, a subsidiary of Swiss-based Nestle SA.
Local FDA officials said all the packets of instant noodles tested in the state-run laboratory were contaminated and that it had asked for all packets in that batch to be removed from shops.
In a press statement, Nestle said that it has submitted samples to an an independent laboratory and will provide those results to officials. "We are aware of reports that tests by the local authorities have detected Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) in a sample of MAGGI Noodles ...People can be confident that MAGGI Noodle products are safe to eat."
Nestle India said the batch of about 200,000 packets of noodles it was being asked to recall were made in February last year and had already reached their "best-before" date last November.
It said it collects stock nearing best-before dates from distributors and retailers and was confident products from that batch were no longer on the market.
Nestle India also said it had not received any other order to recall noodles currently being sold.
The result of the test conducted by Uttar Pradesh, meanwhile, has pushed Maharashtra and Gujarat to send samples for testing. The results are expected next week.