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Supreme Court to examine Maggi report

Mysuru-based lab says no lead in noodles.

New Delhi: The Central Food Technological Research institute, Mysuru has informed the Supreme Court that there is no presence of lead in the Maggi noodles samples and the presence of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) were within permissible limits.

In its report submitted to the apex court in a sealed cover, the Institute also said that MSG occurs naturally in Maggi and is not an added flavor.

A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Shiva Kirti Singh which took the report on record said it would examine in detail and posted the matter for further hearing on July 19 and in the meanwhile directed that the copies of the report be give to the parties within three days. In December 2015 the Bench had asked the institute to test the magi samples on 16 parameters and submit a report to the court.

During the hearing, senior counsel Harish Salve, appearing for Maggi manufacturer Nestle submitted that the food department notification concedes that no lab test can determine the presence of MSG in the noodles. He also maintained that MSG occurs naturally in grains and that no added MSG was present in Maggi noodles. The central government had filed a class action suit before National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission against Nestle.

In its order the NCDRC said.” It cannot be disputed that some doubt on the safety of the product will continue to persist till issue involved is finally decided by way of an adjudication based on the laboratory reports. But, the product in question being a food product of mass consumption by almost every section of the society, it is imperative to test and analyse its ingredients in an exhaustive manner, before a clean chit can be given to it. The samples were ordered to be sent to Chennai.

Having regard to this submission, the bench directed that the samples earlier collected shall be sent to the Mysuru laboratory for testing. The test reports shall be produced before this Court.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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