India’s apex consumer court orders tests on Nestlé’s Maggi noodles

India’s apex consumer court, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), has ordered tests on 16 samples of Nestlé’s Maggi noodles at the request of the union government.

The NCDRC is hearing a class action suit against Nestlé, levelled by the government.

Nestlé has to send the samples for a fresh round of testing to designated laboratories on 14 December, reported The Economic Times.

A bench of the NCDRC is hearing the Rs6.4bn ($95m) class action suit filed by the Government of India against Nestlé India.

The government requested further retesting of 31 samples, but the commission cut it down to 16, reported Hindustan Times.

The bench, headed by Justice VK Jain, ordered all testing to be completed before the next hearing, which is scheduled on 11 January, 2016.

In its class action suit, the Department of Consumer Affairs alleged that Nestlé India "indulged in unfair trade practices by false labelling of Maggi Noodles in as much as it states ‘No added MSG’ prominently on packet, despite the presence of MSG".

Further, without carrying out risk assessment and securing product approval, the firm sold Maggi Oats Masala Noodles with tastemaker, thereby indulging in unfair trade practices, the department alleged.

However, Nestlé levelled allegations that the government was making an attempt to bolster its case by seeking further testing of Maggi products.

NCDRC earlier directed for tests on 13 samples from nine batches of the noodles that were with the government. The results of these tests are yet to be released.

Earlier this month, Nestlé India had announced that it recommenced production of Maggi noodles from all its five facilities.

The Indian unit of the Switzerland-based firm relaunched Maggi noodles into the market on 9 November, just in time for Deepavali, the festival of lights.

Nestlé is currently producing noodles at five facilities, Nanjangud in Karnataka state, Moga in Punjab state, Bicholim in Goa, Pantnagar in Uttarakhand and Tahliwal in Himachal Pradesh.

Within two weeks of the relaunch, the company sold 45 million packs, reported Livemint.

In June, the FSSAI banned the sale of Maggi noodles after it detected higher-than-permissible levels of lead, and high quantities of mono-sodium glutamade in tests carried out on a batch of products.

Following this, Nestlé destroyed close to 27,420t of Maggi noodles, valued at around $50m.

The company later challenged the Indian food safety regulator’s ban, and approached the Bombay High Court in August, which ordered the regulator to complete re-tests within six weeks, in court-appointed laboratories. The court also lifted the ban on Maggi noodles.

The company’s old and fresh noodles samples cleared tests in court-appointed labs, following which it launched the product in the market in November.

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Image: Nestlé India relaunched Maggi noodles into the market on 9 November, just in time for Deepavali. Photo: Courtesy of rakratchada torsap/FreeDigitalPhotos.net.