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Nestle moves court in India over ban by food safety regulators

by IBNS 11 Jun 2015, 12:14 am

New Delhi/Mumbai, June 11 (IBNS) Reeling under the ban on Maggi noodles over health concerns by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), multinational food giant Nestle decided to fight back legally as it moved the Bombay High Court challenging the Indian food safety regulators.

"As part of the efforts to resolve the Maggi noodles issue, Nestle India has today approached the Bombay High Court raising issues of interpretation of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2011 while seeking a judicial review of the order dated June 6, 2015, passed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Maharashtra and the order dated June 5 passed by FSSAI," Nestle told Bombay Stock Exchange.

"At the same time, we are continuing withdrawal of Maggi noodle products. This action will not interfere with this process," it  said.
 Amid a nationwide controversy that forced Maggi noodles to be off-shelved following ban in five states  Nestle's global CEO Paul Bulcke earlier claimed that the snack, a popular brand across the country is safe for consumption and it will be back again.

His  assertion came after Nestle India, the manufacturers of Maggi, decided to withdraw the product following country-wide scrutiny for high lead content and mono-sodium glutamate or MSG, a taste enhancer.

"Maggi noodles in India are safe for consumption. We have the same quality standards everywhere in the world," Bulcke said while addressing the media.

Indian food labs where the samples were tested, however, said they stand by their tests.

According to market reports, Nestle shares dropped by 15 per cent since May 28  because of the controversy over Maggi.