Nestle India approaches High Court over Maggi dispute

Nestle India has approached the Bombay High Court regarding the recent order of the Food and Drug Administration in Maharashtra (FDA) and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to ban the popular Maggi noodles.

The move comes less than a week after FSSAI ordered the company to recall all nine varieties of Maggi noodles amid a food scare regarding excess lead found in the products.

The authority had asked Nestle to halt production, processing, import, distribution and sales, as it found the products to be unsafe and harmful for human consumption.

Following FSSAI’s announcement, Nestle had recalled all the products from the market, as several states had announced bans against the products.

Reacting to the ban, Nestle wrote the following to the Bombay Stock Exchange: "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 order dated 6 June, 2015, passed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Maharashtra and the order dated 5 June passed by FSSAI.

"At the same time, we are continuing withdrawal of Maggi noodle products. This action will not interfere with this process."

Meanwhile, the food safety regulators have announced that over 20 varieties of easy-to-cook noodles, including brands like Ching’s Secret, Top Ramen, and Knorr also need to be recalled from the market as they have not received the required approvals yet.