Gujarat, Karnataka lift ban on sale of Maggi

Ahmedabad/Bengaluru,19 Oct:

Today, Gujarat and Karnataka allowed the manufacture and sale of Maggi noodles. The Congress government in Karnataka decided to withhold the Centre’s directive banning Nestle India’s noodles, saying it lacked clarity, while Gujarat food authority lifted the ban on the sale after the Bombay High Court ended the nationwide ban on it in August.

The Karnataka Government would withhold the implementation of Central order on not allowing the production and sale of Maggi because it lacked clarity on the permissible limits of monosodium glutamate (MSG) and lead, Karnataka Health Minister U T Khader said.

Khader said it was left to the company to decide on the start of production of noodles and other products. However, the minister said the government would be very happy to implement the Central order if it frames clear guidelines on the permissibility of the level of MSG and lead contents in noodles.

Even if the company produces or manufactures noodles and other products, they should undergo laboratory test before hitting the market, he said. Gujarat Food and Drug Control Authority (FDCA) today allowed the sale of the noodles, saying: “FDCA had lifted the ban on Maggi in Gujarat during August after the Bombay High Court passed an order to lift the ban across India. We took the decision based on the court order.”

The Gujarat FDCA had revoked the ban on Maggi noodles mid-way in August following court order. On June 2, Khader said, the Karnataka Government collected Maggi samples and sent them to national-level laboratory units situated in Mysuru and another private laboratory in Bengaluru which found the lead and MSG contents in permissible levels. However, the Central food safety regulator FSSAI rejected the test results.