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Nestle challenges noodles ban

June 11, 2015

Swiss food giant Nestle has said it's challenging a ban imposed on its hugely popular Maggi noodles in India. The company announced it had turned to the High Court in Mumbai to review the government order.

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Maggi noddles
Image: picture alliance/Ann/THE STAR

Nestle said Thursday it had filed a case in the Mumbai High Court with a view to getting a review of orders passed earlier by India's Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) banning the sale, distribution and production of Maggi noodles in the Asian country.

Nestle's response came after tests by regulators had suggested the noodles contained excessive levels of lead. The company was also accused of misleading labeling information on packages.

"As part of the efforts to resolve the Maggi noodles issue, Nestle India has today approached the Bombay High Court raising issues of interpretation of the Food Safety and Standards Act 2011 while seeking a judicial review of the orders passed by the FDA and by FSSAI," the company said in a statement.

Compensation request

Nestle hastened to add that its most recent action on the matter would in no way interfere with the process of it continuing the withdrawal of Maggi noodle products.

India's Consumer Affairs Ministry had earlier sought an undisclosed amount of compensation from Nestle for false advertising after food safety regulators branded the noodles in question "unsafe" and "hazardous."

The Swiss company has largely denied any charges brought against it, insisting the noodles are safe to eat. At the beginning of the week, Singapore cleared sales of Maggi noodles imported from India after conducting its own tests.

hg/ng (AFP, Reuters)