Nestlé said last week it will resume production and sale of its popular MAGGI instant noodles after tests results from three Indian laboratories found that all product samples had lead levels that were well below the permissible limits.
“Nestlé India has always maintained that MAGGI Noodles are safe,” the company said. “Nestlé India has conducted over 3500 tests representing over 200 million packs in both national as well as international accredited laboratories and all reports are clear. In addition to these, various countries including USA, UK, Singapore, Australia and others have found MAGGI Noodles manufactured in India safe for consumption.”
The company said it will continue to collaborate with food regulators and other stakeholders in compliance with court orders. Nestlé will now once again begin manufacturing the noodles and will start selling the products after the newly manufactured noodles are also cleared by the laboratories.
In June the company destroyed about $50 million of MAGGI Noodle products it removed from store shelves after India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority enacted a sales ban on the products for unsafe levels of lead. Indian Authorities banned the noodles in June after tests from around the country discovered levels of lead in the products higher than legal limits, leading to authorities branding the noodles “unsafe and hazardous.” In response to the lead concerns, Nestlé said it conducted tests on more than 1000 batches of noodles in its labs and an additional 600 in external laboratories. Their results indicated the noodles were safe and within regulatory limits for the country.