Madhya Pradesh and Bihar have banned the sale of popular instant food Maggi noodles, as the snack comes under mounting scrutiny over food safety concerns.
Speaking to reporters at the Mantralaya after a meeting with Union Chemicals and Fertiliser Minister Anant Kumar, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “Till it is proved that Maggi noodles are not harmful for the health, there will be a ban in the state on the sale of this noodle.”
Bihar Food Safety Commissioner Anand Kishor told reporters here: “We are banning sale, purchase, distribution and display of Maggi noodles in Bihar for a month after receiving information that the product has been banned in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and several other states over presence of heavy metal lead and MSG in it.”
He said the decision was taken in light of the fact that it was not manufactured in Bihar, but brought from other states for distribution and sale here.
“This leaves a high probability of the presence of lead, which is dangerous for human consumption, and MSG, another harmful chemical in the product. Presence of these harmful substances has been found in laboratory tests conducted in other states,” Kishor added.
Madhya Pradesh decided to ban the sale of Maggi noodles after its samples failed laboratory tests.
The sale of Maggi noodles is already banned in Nepal, Delhi, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand after concerns were raised over the presence of monosodium glutamate (MSG) and lead beyond permissible levels in the product.
Chouhan said the ban will continue as long as it is bad for health. Once it is clarified that it is fit for consumption, then the state will take a fresh call on the issue, he added.