FSSAI asks State Food Commissioners to test all packaged products

The FSSAI had issued an order banning all variants of Nestle India’s Maggi noodles, terming them as “unsafe and hazardous” for human consumption.

Central food safety regulator Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has asked State Food Commissioners to inspect and evaluate all packaged products available in markets across the country.

The directions were given in a meeting earlier this month.

“It has also been suggested during the meeting that the State Food Safety Commissioners should prepare their line of action for the year and collect samples of all the packaged products, even those which are not registered with FSSAI,” a source said.

FSSAI had also handed over a list of 500 products rejected by it as of April 30, 2015 to the State Food Safety Commissioners.

Earlier this month, the FSSAI had banned Nestle’s Maggi saying it was ‘unsafe and hazardous’ after tests found presence of lead and monosodium glutamate above permissible limits. Nestle has withdrawn the instant noodles brand from the market.

»	In April, the food regulator of Uttar Pradesh, UP FDA had ordered recall of a batch of about 2 lakh packs of the Maggi instant noodles due to higher than permitted levels of lead and food additives.
»	No. States conducting tests: 09; No. of States that have banned: 11
»	On May 29, taking a “serious” note of quality issues related to global giant Nestle’s famous noodle brand Maggi, the government asked the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to look into the matter. The FSSAI has collected more samples of Maggi from different states for testing.
»	Meanwhile, Hindi actors Madhuri Dixit, Amitabh Bachchan and Preity Zinta, who endorse Maggi were served legal notice on the claims made in the advertisement. A complaint was filed in the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Barabanki, on May 30, by lawyer Santosh Kumar Singh, saying that by endorsing Maggi the film stars have misled people. The Consumer Affairs Ministry Additional Secretary G Gurucharan says "brand ambassadors would be liable for action if advertisements are found to be misleading.”
»	On May 30, Madhuri Dixit tweeted that she met officials of Nestle and the company has reassured that "they adhere to stringent testing for quality and safety and are working with the authorities closely.”
»	The same day, the Food Safety and Drug Administration of the U.P. government filed a case against the manufacturing company, Nestle India Ltd., and five others, including the Barabanki store from where samples with excess lead were seized.
»	The Uttarakhand Food Safety Department too collected samples of the noodle brand from the company’s plant at Pantnagar in the State. Confirming the presence of MSG, the state banned Maggi.
»	Nestle India said it has got tested samples of the noodle brand in an external laboratory as well as in-house and the product has been found “safe to eat” with lead levels within the permissible levels for consumption. The company was, however, silent on presence of the taste enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG).
»	Nestle India's stocks continued to slumpamid growing concerns about safety standards of its popular Maggi noodles. In a BSE filing, the company said it has not received any order from the central or any state FDA authority for recall of its Maggi noodles.
»	State-owned retail outlets in Kerala and Delhi have banned the sale of Maggi. Leading retail chain Big Bazaar has also reportedly taken them off from its shelves.
»	Army has issued advisory to its personnel asking them not to eat Maggi noodles and directed its canteens not to sell them till further orders.
»	Nestle on June 5, said it is withdrawing the product from Indian market due to “unfounded confusions” that has affected the consumer trust, but maintained that its noodles are safe for consumption and has no presence of MSG.
»	Singapore and Nepal have ordered local importers to temporarily suspend of the sale of Nestle’s Maggi noodles imported from India.
»	Maharashtra Food and Drug Minister Girish Bapat has announced a ban on the sale of Maggi with effect from on Saturday after lab tests proved presence of lead above the permissible level in the samples tested.
»	A day after banning Maggi noodles, food safety regulator FSSAI on Saturday said it will test samples of instant noodles across brands to ensure food safety.
»	On Sunday, Karnataka government banned the manufacture and sale of maggi noodles and Goa also followed suit by banning the product.