New Delhi: In the line of fire from central and several state governments for its prime Maggi product carrying unsafe contents, Nestle India late Thursday night decided to withdraw the product. However, the company still claimed the Maggi noodles are safe.
In a press statement, the company said: “The trust of our consumers and the safety of our products is our first priority. Unfortunately, recent developments and unfounded concerns about the product have led to an environment of confusion for the consumer, to such an extent that we have decided to withdraw the product off the shelves, despite the product being safe.”
Nestle also promised that “the trusted MAGGI Noodles will be back in the market as soon as the current situation is clarified.”
The company seems to have taken the decision to recall the product following the central government getting tough over the issue.
The central government on Thursday sought reports from all states on the controversy over the quality of Maggi noodles, Health Minister J.P. Nadda said.
The health minister said that once the central government gets the reports, a decision will be taken on the future course of action regarding the popular snack that has been pulled off sales counters after high lead content was found in samples.
“We have asked for a report from all the state governments on Maggi,” Nadda told the press.
“The reports are expected to come by today (Thursday) evening, after which we will be able to take a decision,” he said.
Asked about checking the safety standards of other packaged food products, the health minister said “it is a continuous process”.
The Delhi government on Wednesday banned Maggi noodles for 15 days as Nestle India, the manufacturer of the popular snack, battled controversy with many more states ordering tests after an Uttar Pradesh lab reported that samples of the noodles contained more than the permissible limit of lead.
Bihar, Punjab, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh and Odisha on Wednesday joined Maharashtra, Haryana, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh which have sent Maggi noodle samples for tests.
(With inputs from IANS)
