The Tamil Nadu government has sent 65 samples of Maggi, the popular instant noodles brand of Nestle, for testing at its laboratories.
According to a senior official of the Food Safety and Drug Administration Department, the samples, collected from across the State, have been sent to the six food safety labs in Chennai, Salem, Coimbatore, Madurai, Thanjavur and Palayamkottai. The testing has been initiated following an instruction from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, he said. The samples will be put through a routine food safety test, which will include tests to check for levels of monosodium glutamate (MSG) and lead.
“The results are expected by Friday evening. Based on the results, we will take action,” he said.
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Maggi has been in the midst of a controversy since reports of its contents allegedly exceeding prescribed levels of MSG and lead surfaced in Uttar Pradesh and some other parts of the country.
On Tuesday, the Kerala government ordered the pull-out of the noodles brand from State-run retail outlets.
The Punjab and Telangana governments too, have initiated tests of the product. On Tuesday, the Delhi government said high levels of lead were detected in 10 of the 13 packets it tested and five samples of the Maggi masala were found to contain MSG even though the label did not say so. Reports said the government has decided to initiate a case against Nestle. In Goa, however, the food and drugs administration said it found tested samples safe for human consumption.
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On Wednesday, reports said the product was banned in Delhi for 15 days. However, officials in Tamil Nadu said they would wait for the results to decide on action.
Residents and consumers interested in getting samples tested can approach any of the government’s food safety labs and give in a product for testing, for a fee. In Chennai, the food safety lab is in the King Institute of Preventive Medicine in Guindy.