10 Indian states order Maggi noodles off shelves -- Delhi bans sale for 15 days

Meanwhile, Delhi’s Health Minister Satyendra Jain told a press conference on Wednesday afternoon that the Delhi government had decided to ban the sale of Maggi noodles for 15 days.

“We are not fully satisfied with the submission given by Nestle officials today morning. The government has imposed a ban on Maggi for 15 days,” he said. “The company has been directed to remove their stock from market in Delhi. New stock is to be brought in only after proper checking. As per the prelim report the quantity of lead in Maggi was found to be more than the permissible limit, and hence the ban,” the minister said. Earlier, it had been reported that 13 samples of Maggi noodles had been tested and and 10 of these were found to be unsafe with lead exceeding the permissible level.

However, Nestle India said that the noodles were safe to eat and lead levels were well within limits. That, however, did not stop the price of Nestle India stock from falling by 10.10 per cent on the BSE and by 10.2 per cent on the NSE.

By the evening, interest in this issue in Pakistan became evident on social media when ‘Maggi’ began to trend on Twitter.

maggitrend — A screenshot from Twitter showing ‘Maggi’ trending at Number 3 in Pakistan

FIRs against Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta for appearing in adverts featuring Maggi noodles

Today’s developments follow the registration of a case against Nestle India after an Indian citizen complained that he fell ill while actors Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta have also been separately dragged to the court for promoting the ‘two-minute’ noodles brand.

Whilst the case against Nestle India has been filed by UP food regulator FSDA (Food Safety and Drug Administration), a separate case was also filed against the three glamorous Bollywood personalities by a local advocate.

“Following FSDA Commissioner P P Singh’s permission to file a case against Nestle India, a case has been filed in the court of ACJM (Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate) here,” Barabanki Food Safety Officer V K Pandey said. Monosodium glutamate and lead was found in excess quantity by the FDA in Maggi samples that were tested. According to the tested samples, lead was found 17 times more than the stipulated amount which is considered as hazardous.

The other case has been filed by a local advocate in the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court and placed blame on Bollywood celebrities for promoting an unhealthy product. The advocate fumed at the insensitivity of Bollywood superstars who promoted brands keeping in mind the lucrative sums they pocketed and neglecting the overall health effects of such brands. He also stated that, “This wrong publicity amounts to malafide intentions and playing with the health of the kids and young people of the country.”

Also, authorities in Uttar Pradesh also issued a notice to 48 year old actress Madhuri Dixit, who also promoted the brand as a safe food in advertisements. This prompted Madhuri to tweet to her followers on Twitter:-

Like most of India, I have enjoyed Maggi noodles for years. I was very concerned after recent reports and met with the Nestle team (1/3).

— Madhuri Dixit-Nene (@MadhuriDixit) May 30, 2015

Nestle explained that they always place the consumer first and have the highest quality standards. (2/3)

— Madhuri Dixit-Nene (@MadhuriDixit) May 30, 2015

Nestle has reassured me that they adhere to stringent testing for quality and safety and are working with the authorities closely.

— Madhuri Dixit-Nene (@MadhuriDixit) May 30, 2015