Nestlé’s Maggi noodles go back on sale in India

Nestlé’s Maggi noodles have gone back on sale in most parts of India, five months after they were pulled from shelves in a health scare.

While the supplier has always maintained the products were safe to eat, in June it recalled Maggi noodles from shelves in India following reports by some Indian states that testing had detected high levels of lead and undeclared monosodium glutamate. The same day Nestlé pulled the products, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued an order to recall Maggi noodles from the Indian market and banned their sale and production.

Nestlé India sought a judicial review of this order, which consequently overturned the government’s ban on Maggi noodles. After complying with the court’s ruling that it should complete a series of tests, which found lead content within the permissible limits, Nestlé has been allowed to produce the products again.

Describing the recent period as “challenging”, Nestlé said there was a “feeling of satisfaction” in bringing the noodles back to market.

“The return of Maggi Noodles is a moment of celebration for all of us,” said Nestlé India chairman and MD Suresh Narayanan “On behalf of over 7,000 Nestlé India employees, I would like to thank all our suppliers, distributors, retailers, and millions of consumers from every corner of India and overseas for their support, reassurance, and for being there during our difficult period.”

Narayanan added the business was working with distributors to get Maggi Noodles on sale as soon as possible across much of India, and that it was engaging with individual states that still had bans in place.

The UK Food Standards Agency gave Maggi noodles the all clear in July. The authority announced that more than 900 UK samples – tested by local authorities, port authorities and Nestlé itself – were found to contain levels of lead “well within EU permissible levels”, adding consumers had no reason to be concerned. While only one flavour of Maggi 2 Minute Noodles - masala - was imported from India to the UK and Ireland market, other flavours of noodles had been tested as a precaution, said the FSA.