Patanjali''s amla juice taken off Army canteen shelves after it fails test

New Delhi, April 25

The Canteen Stores Department, the retailing entity selling consumer goods to armed forces, has suspended sale of a batch of Patanjali Ayurveda's amla juice after it "failed" to clear a laboratory test.

When contacted, the company, promoted by yoga guru Ramdev, said the amla juice is a medicinal product unlike other juices sold in the market and that it is absolutely safe for human consumption.

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Defence ministry sources said a show cause notice has been served on the company after the juice "failed" the test.

The test was carried out at West Bengal Public Health Laboratory, Kolkata. The sources said as per procedure, CSD has immediately suspended the sale of the particular batch of the item and sent a show cause notice to the company to examine the deviations and explain about them.

They said "further action" will be taken on receipt of reply from the firm.

The CSD had sent samples of 'Amla Juice' having index no. 85417 and batch No. GH1502 to the laboratory in Kolkata, they said.

The Patanjali Ayurveda said its amla juice is an ayurvedic medicine and test on it should be conducted as per the norms of the AYUSH ministry. The firm said norms prescribed by the country's food regulator--Food Safety and Standards Authority of India-- were not applicable to the juice.

The CSD regularly sends items from its inventory for testing at various government-run laboratories across the country.  —PTI