Nestle questions UP lab test on pasta

New Delhi, November 28

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Nestle India, which is facing a fresh controversy over its pasta products after Maggi noodles, today questioned the validity of the lab test done by the UP government saying it was neither “NABL accredited” nor “notified by FSSAI”.

Reiterating that its MAGGI Pazzta is 100 per cent safe, Nestle India said Lucknow-based National Foods Analysis Laboratory and its reports could not be relied upon.

“The media reports mention that the tests have been conducted at the National Foods Analysis Laboratory, Lucknow. The laboratory is neither National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accredited nor is notified by the FSSAI. The results of the laboratories which are not accredited cannot be relied upon,” said a Nestle India spokesperson.

The company further added that it came to know about the alleged presence of lead in its pasta through media reports only, and it was investigating these claims.

“We have not received any formal notification from the authorities in UP or from the FSSAI about such test results,” he said, adding: “We will work with the authorities concerned to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.”

Yesterday, a UP state government official had claimed that they had found presence of lead in Nestle’s Pazzta beyond permissible limits. Pasta samples collected from Nestle distributor — Sriji Traders — at Mau district in the state on June 10, were sent to a government food testing laboratory in Lucknow, designated officer at the Food and Drug Administration, Mau, Arvind Yadav said yesterday. “According to report received on September 2, they failed the tests,” he added. — PTI