Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said the state government “did not find any unwanted material” in Maggi noodles samples sent for laboratory testing.
“We have so far not found any unwanted material in Maggi samples sent for testing. The tests will continue,” Banerjee told the media here.
“The centre has issued a circular regarding Maggi instant noodles. This is a matter on the concurrent list,” she added.
Banerjee’s statement followed an order by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to Nestle to withdraw and recall all nine variants of Maggi noodles and to stop further production and exports, as some samples of the noodles were found to be “hazardous” for human consumption.
However, Nestle’s global chief executive Paul Bulcke asserted that the popular snack was “safe”, passing every independent test ordered by the company.
States like Gujarat, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir banned Maggi for 15-30 days while others called for tests on the popular noodles after a batch in a small town in Uttar Pradesh allegedly contained higher-than-permissible lead.
Following public concern, a host of retailers ranging from neighbourhood house shops to Big Bazaar and WalMart withdrew Maggi noodles from their shelves.