Sources have told NDTV that the lead content in Maggi's tastemaker was around 5 PPM which is twice the permissible level.
The Tamil Nadu government today banned the manufacture, sale and storage of Nestle's Maggi instant noodles for three months across the state and directed the company to take all its noodles off the shelf immediately.
The state government also banned Nestle's Wai Wai Xpress Noodles, Reliance Select Instant Noodles and Smith and Jones Chicken Masala instant noodles.
A statement from the state government says a total of 65 samples of noodles from all brands were taken for testing. "In six out of seven test results received, it was found that lead content was higher than the stipulated limit of 10 lakh per 2.5 Parts Per Million (PPM)," the statement said.
Sources have told NDTV that the lead content in Maggi's tastemaker was around 5 PPM which is twice the permissible level.
Sources also said test reports of noodles made by other brands are awaited.
Maggi has also been banned by Delhi, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakand governments. While Delhi yesterday banned Maggi for 15 days, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir today banned it for a month. Meanwhile, Uttarakhand has banned the popular snack "till further notice."
The Tamil Nadu government is yet to take a call on Nestle's Milk Powder. Last week a government Food Analysis Laboratory in Coimbatore had confirmed presence of live larvae in a Nestle's Nan PRO 3 milk powder packet presented for testing by a taxi driver's family. Following this, authorities from the state's Food Safety Department are testing samples of the milk powder too.