Maker of Maggi noodles Nestle India said it has not received the order to pay the fine yet
Nestle India Limited, makers of Maggi instant noodles, on Wednesday said it does not use ash in making the snack as it responds to allegations that some samples of the product were found "contaminated" by food safety officials in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur district.
The fast-moving consumer goods firm has been fined Rs 45 lakh, while its distributors in Shahjahanpur have been fined Rs 17 lakh by the district administration.
"We strongly reiterate that at no stage of the manufacturing process, ash is added to Maggi noodles," a Nestle India spokesperson said in a statement.
In June 2015, the food regulator FSSAI
had banned Maggi noodles, saying the product was "unsafe and hazardous" for consumption after finding lead levels beyond permissible limits.
Nestle relaunched Maggi noodles in the market in November 2015 after fulfilling conditions set by the Bombay High Court which lifted the ban imposed by the FSSAI.
"While we have not yet received the order passed by the Adjudication Officer, we understand from the information available that the relevant samples are of the year 2015 and the issue pertains to 'Ash content'," the spokesperson said, adding the instant noodles are compliant with the new rules laid by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.