Maggi has come under renewed scrutiny after the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued a notice to brand owner Nestl\u00e9 regarding the alleged detection of insects and larvae inside a packet of instant noodles.<\/p>\n
While Nestl\u00e9 has rejected the allegations, the regulator said it took action on the basis of consumer complaints that circulated on social media.<\/p>\n
According to a post by news agency ANI on the X platform, the FSSAI has sought a detailed Action Taken Report (ATR) from Nestl\u00e9 linked to the alleged infestation.<\/p>\n
The report must include information on the source and vendor network, along with internal quality check logs for the relevant production batch.<\/p>\n
The regulator has also asked Nestl\u00e9 to set out immediate \u201ccorrective steps\u201d taken to isolate the affected supply chain. It must also describe the actions taken to ensure such incidents do not occur.<\/p>\n
The notice had an immediate impact on Nestl\u00e9\u2019s stock performance. According to a Moneycontrol report, the company’s stock price fell as much as 3.2% to an intraday low of Rs1,376.25 ($14.46) and closed 3.29% lower at Rs1,375.70.<\/p>\n
When contacted by Just Food, a Nestl\u00e9 spokesperson in India said: \u201cWe categorically reject the allegations.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are yet to receive the complaint sample from the complainant as the account is unreachable. A detailed representation, supported by all relevant facts, quality records from batch and market samples, test reports, has already been submitted to the competent authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n
The latest regulatory development brought renewed attention to Maggi\u2019s past regulatory issues in India. Nestl\u00e9 recalled Maggi noodles in the summer of 2015<\/a> after the FSSAI and some state food safety regulators said the product contained lead levels above limits permitted under Indian regulations.<\/p>\n At the time, the FSSAI labelled the product “unsafe and hazardous”, and imposed a nationwide ban that lasted five months.<\/p>\n Nestl\u00e9 challenged the decision in the Bombay High Court, stating that its own testing and independent tests did not detect high lead levels.<\/p>\n