“The alleged claim by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences [AIIMS], that a live rat jumped out a bread packet, are imaginary and cannot be possible,” a detailed e-mail reaction by Bonn Nutrients Private Limited send to The Hindu on Wednesday read.
The reaction comes after AIIMS banned Bonn Nutrients for three years stating that a live rat was found inside the sealed packet of brown-hi fibre bread. AIIMS official added that a notice had been issued to the effect in the last week of September.
The Hindu has a copy of the notice served to the manufacturer and it reads: “A live rat was found on 29.07.2015 in the sealed packet of brown-hi fibre bread slice manufactured by M/s Bonn Nutrients Pvt. Ltd and the company has failed to submit satisfactory reply to the show cause notice dated 09.09.2015.’’
Meanwhile, a detailed reply by Bonn Nutrients read: “We wish to assure that the facts as alleged by AIIMS in their notice are imaginary and cannot be possible by any stretch of imagination. By the alleged incident, perhaps AIIMS has tried to shift its own faults and negligence or acts of sabotage by which perhaps a rat was claimed to found in the sealed packaging.”
However, AIIMS medical superintendent D.K. Sharma said: “The company has been debarred after proper investigations and as per procedure. If it has any doubts or complaints, it can speak with us or write to us.”
The company added that it wants to reassure all its customers that its manufacturing facility located in Ludhiana, Punjab, is an ISO 22000:2005 certified — the best industrial practices are followed concerning health, safety and hygiene.
The incident came to light on July 29 when an AIIMS official reported that a live rat was allegedly found in a two-slice bread pack within AIIMS premises.
“Immediately on receipt of such notice, our representatives rushed to AIIMS, who met the relevant officials and clarified that the alleged incident could not happen at our end for various reasons explained to them,” the company communication read.
“In this background, on September 15, 2015, to our utter shock and surprise, a show-cause notice dated September 9 was received from AIIMS calling upon us to explain the alleged incident. The said notice was well responded on September 17,” stated the company authorities.
They added that it was explained to AIIMS authorities that the sealing of the bread packets in question take place at a very high temperature of over 170-180 degrees Celsius and that no living organism, much less a rat, can survive being packed in a plastic two-slice pack at such high temperatures.
Further, after sealing, the bread packet takes around 18-24 hours to reach the retailers/end users and during its transit any such living organism would suffocate.
“We did not receive any communication from AIIMS since then nor any notice of enquiry being carried out by them has been received,” maintained the company.
