Maggi noodles row: Case filed against Nestle, 5 others

Barabanki/Mumbai, May 30

A case was lodged today against Nestle India in a local court here over safety standards of its Maggi product, while actors Amitabh Bachhan, Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta have also been separately dragged to the court for promoting the ‘two-minute’ noodles brand.

While the case against Nestle India and five others was filed by the UP food regulator FSDA (Food Safety and Drug Administration), a local advocate filed a separate case against the three cine personalities.

“Following FSDA Commissioner P.P. Singh’s permission to file a case against Nestle India, a case has been filed in the court of ACJM (Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate) here,” Barabanki Food Safety Officer V K Pandey said.

The case has been lodged against the company’s Nestle Nagal Kalan Industrial Area unit (Haroli, Una in HP), Delhi-based Nestle India Limited, an Easy Day outlet in Barabanki and the Delhi-based parent firm Easy Day, as also against and their FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) managers, Mohan Gupta and Shabab Alam, Pandey said.

The FSDA had found monosodium glutamate and lead in excess of the prescribed limit in Maggi samples tested by it.

The FSDA had collected the samples from an Easy Day store in Barabanki and had sent the consignment for testing, which showed that the quantum of lead present was 17 times more than the stipulated limit, which is considered hazardous.

The Union Consumer Affairs Ministry has also asked the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India to look into the matter while Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said yesterday that a class action suit can also be initiated in the matter if a complaint is lodged in this regard with the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC).

The second case has been lodged by a local advocate in Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) court against the cine stars for promoting Maggi noodles, saying they have been found to be harmful for public health.

There were no comments from the company.

Talking to newspersons, the advocate said he has lodged the case in the court of CJM against the three film stars who have claimed the instant noodles as healthy in TV promotions under sections 420, 272, 273 and 109.

He said these film stars have earned hefty sums by terming Maggi noodles as healthy in advertisements and alleged “this wrong publicity amounts to malafide intentions and playing with the health of the kids and young people of the country”.

Madhuri meets Nestle officials

Meanwhile, Bollywood actress Madhuri Dixit met officials of Nestle and said they assured her that there would be no compromise on the quality of the popular snack which is under scanner.

The 48-year-old Bollywood actress was slapped with a notice by Haridwar Food and Drug Administration to explain within 15 days claims made in the advertisement regarding the nutrition value of the ‘2-minute noodles’.

“Like most of India, I have enjoyed Maggi noodles for years. I was very concerned after recent reports and met with the Nestle team,” she tweeted.

“Nestle explained that they always place the consumer first and have the highest quality standards,” another tweet said.

“Nestle has reassured me that they adhere to stringent testing for quality and safety and are working with the authorities closely,” she said. — PTI