Maggi sales as usual in Chennai

K Kannan, a two-wheeler mechanic, walked into the ‘kirana’ store and asked for a Maggi ‘family pack’.

When another buyer asked him whether he had not been reading newspapers, he said, “ Theriyum saar. Aana idhan quick-a vela aavum (I know, Sir. But this is what can be made quickly).”

Shanmugam Palanisamy, the store owner says the instant noodles brand continues to sell as usual.

Even as the Centre had made it clear that the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is testing more samples from different States following the detection of MSG (monosodium glutamate) and lead in excess of the prescribed limit in Maggi noodle packs, retail outlets of even big chains such as Reliance, Spencer’s, Heritage, Nilgiris and More in Chennai still have Maggi stacked up in shop shelves.

“Even today, that’s one of the fastest moving products in our store,” said the Store Manager in one of the outlets in the city.

Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Kerala have ordered the retailers to take the product off their shelves.

The food safety authorities in Tamil Nadu too, have collected over 50 samples from various locations for testing in Government labs.

“We are awaiting the test results by the end of the week, and will then decide what needs to be done,” said a senior official of FSSAI in Tamil Nadu.

Though the probe is being expanded across States, Nestle the brand owner maintains Maggi is safe to eat.

According to its website, it has submitted samples of Maggi noodles from almost 600 product batches representing 125 million packets for independent analysis.

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