Nestle challenges Maggi noodles ban

Risingbd Desk: The Nestle authorities on Thursday said it is challenging a ban imposed by India on its hugely popular Maggi instant noodles brand after tests showed they contained excessive levels of lead.

Earlier the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India said tests have found instant noodles "unsafe and hazardous" and has accused Nestle of failing to comply with food safety laws.

Nestle said on Thursday that it had gone to the high court in Mumbai seeking a judicial review of the order.

"Nestle India Limited has today approached the Honorable Bombay High Court raising issues of interpretation of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2011," said a statement posted on the company s website.

It said it was also challenging a separate order from the state government of Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital.

Nestlé, the world’s largest food maker by revenue, said its own tests had shown lead levels weren’t elevated and that it was confident its instant noodles were safe to eat.

Still, it decided to pull the product from Indian stores in an attempt to quell deepening consumer fears.

Agencies

risingbd/ INDIA/ June 11, 2015/ Mahfuz/ Augustin Sujan