Gujarat And Karnataka Welcome Back Maggi With Open Arms

Gujarat and Karnataka have beaten the rest of India by lifting the ban on Maggi. The state governments felt it was about time as the noodles cleared tests in three government approved labs.

Test Parade

In the past months, 200 million packets of Maggi has been subjected to almost 3,500 tests in accredited labs both in and outside India which have given the product a green signal. Countries like Britain, Australia, United States and Singapore also gave way to Maggi and deemed it safe for consumption.

Last week, Maggi’s parent company Nestle confirmed that all 90 samples of the product had cleared government-accredited tests following which the company was planning to reintroduce the product in the market.

First in Line

Karnataka, a Congress run electorate, and Gujarat, a BJP constituency, have lifted the ban on Maggi. Go ahead; crack a joke on the vegetarian dry state and Karnataka’s late night rules.

The Food and Drug Control Authority of Gujarat announced that it too had lifted the ban on Maggi’s sale and consumption after Bombay High Court lifted the nationwide ban in August.

Karnataka government on the other hand decided to allow the manufacture and sale because it felt the Centre’s decision to withhold it lacked clarity in setting bars for the permissible limits of lead and Monosodium Glutamate (MSG). Karnataka Health Minister UT Khader stated the cause of the decision to PTI reporters in Bangalore.

But FSSAI hold its ground still and reinstates that the ban will be lifted only after a thorough study of the recent reports by the three government regulated labs.

Once the ban is fully shelved and Maggi is “legal” again, Nestle India will continue to sell in collaboration with FSSAI, the company said.

Source: Press Trust of India