BHUBANESWAR: Odisha on Monday joined the growing number of States to ban Maggi noodles with the Government also putting other noodle brands under scanner.
The Government announced a ban on sale of as many as nine varieties of Maggi noodles following confirmation of monosodium glutamate (MSG) content in them. Samples collected from different parts of the State had been sent to the State Public Health Laboratory for testing, which confirmed presence of the banned MSG.
“We have accordingly instructed all Collectors to enforce the ban immediately. The reports on lead content in Maggi samples sent to the Central Food Laboratory, Pune, though, are still awaited”, Health and Family Welfare Minister Atanu Sabysachi Nayak said.
The Minister said the ban was announced on the basis of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) stipulations on MSG content in food items. The FSSAI on Monday also asked States to put other brands like Yippee, Nissin, Top Ramen, Wai Wai, Chings, etc to test.
“We will be conducting tests on all other brands of noodles and pasta that are being sold in the markets in Odisha”, Nayak said.
Prasanta Patnaik