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Maggi Has Been Banned In Several States


Nestle, one of India's biggest processed food makers, slid to the lowest in a month after a complaint was filed in a local court over lead levels in its Maggi instant noodles.

Nestle's Noodles, Maggi is banned in several states of India because of excessive usage of lead and MSG (Monosodium Glutamate), a flavour enhancer in their "Masala" mixture.
An officer of the UP Food Safety and Drug Administration ordered tests on Maggi Noodles in the Gorakhpur Laboratory and the Central Food Laboratory in Kolkata. Both tests found MSG content. Kolkata Lab found 17.2 parts per million, much more than the permitted 2.5 parts per million limit.
UP FDA then filed a case in Barabanki court, against Nestle. On Monday food minister Ram Vilas Paswan orderd a nation-wide test. Not only MSG and Lead but all parameters would be tested.

Why do noodles contain MSG?

MSG tricks our mind to think that the food we are eating is tasty. In other words it simply makes food tastier. It is widely used in food and is generally considered safe. Its excessive usage may cause some reactions in our body but researchers have not yet found any definitive evidence.
Lead content mostly comes from other objects such as the packet, water or the curly part.

Nestle's Response

Nestle said on May 21 “We do not add MSG to our Maggi noodles sold in India and this is stated on the concerned product. However, we use hydrolysed groundnut protein, onion powder and wheat flour to make Maggi noodles sold in India, which all contain glutamate. We believe that the authorities’ tests may have detected glutamate, which occurs naturally in many foods.” FSSAI agreed to this statement that their tests recognise glutomic acid which is content of many safe edibles.
They also said they are regularly testing the MSG levels in their noodles. They claim that their tests have found nothing.
A case has been filed against Nestle Managing Director, Mohan Gupta, its joint director, Shabab Alam and the three celebrities Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta by a lawyer, Sudhir Kumar Ojha. He said that he fell ill after eating Maggi. These celebrities have been included in this complaint because they used their popularity for commercialising a false product.
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