Even as Nestle’s Maggi noodles are making a comeback in the market, the Maharashtra government seems to have dropped plans to challenge the Bombay high court order allowing its sale.
State food and civil supplies minister Girish Bapat, who had made the announcement regarding the state’s intention to approach the SC, on Monday said that the state would not oppose the sale of Maggi.
“The Bombay high court has lifted the ban and now it is dependent on the company if they want to sell it or not. We cannot stop its sale in the state but we will keep a strict surveillance on the quality of the product. If the quality is fit for consumption, we don’t have any problem with its supply,” said Mr Bapat.
After five months of the ban, Nestle’s Maggi returned to the shelves in the shops of India on Monday. By the end of this month, the product will be available across the state, according to the company.
However, adding further controversy to the safety of ready-to-make food products, the latest report of Maharashtra Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has found many products are ‘misbranding’.
The FDA conducted a laboratory test on 27 samples of pasta and noodles variants of several brands. In the report they found that at least 25 of them contained monosodium glutamate (MSG) even though the labels on the products said, ‘No Added MSG’. However, none of the samples had lead beyond permissible limits.
The product will now be available both online and offline in India. Nestle has tied up with e-commerce company Snapdeal, which is seeking pre-registrations of buyers for the product. The registration started from Monday and the sale will start from November 12.
“The ready-to-make product has been relaunched in 100 towns on Monday and by the end of the month, it will be made available in all the stores across the state,” said Nestle India chairman and managing director Suresh Narayanan.
