India: Ban on the sale of Maggi noodles lifted

The ban on the sale of Maggi noodles in India, which has been in place for more than two months, has been lifted by the Mumbai High Court and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) subject to certain conditions, according to reports in the Economic Times.

The government bodies have given Nestle India a 6-week time span for the testing of a sample of five variants of Maggi noodles. The testing, which will take place at accredited laboratories in Hyderabad, Mohali and Jaipur to check for lead content, is set to determine whether Maggi noodles can continue to be sold in India.

Despite the ban being provisionally lifted, the Indian government is said to be continuing its 640 crore INR ($98 million) lawsuit against Nestle India over trade practices that it said were “unfair, deceptive and misleading”.

Meanwhile, it is reported that Nestle India is considering the introduction of alternate options in the Maggi product space. “We are looking at all options, including Maggi noodles in the current avatar”, a Nestle India spokesperson said. “Considering we have access to Nestle’s strong capabilities in R&D and food technology, we are also evaluating other innovation and renovation options.”

Source: Economic Times