Hyderabad: A hue and cry is being raised by child rights activists and educationists that apart from Magginoodles, other local brands selling junk food at the price of Rs 5 to Rs 15 per packet must also be tested and monitored. Mujtaba Hasan Askari, who has been taking the cases of lower middle class children suffering from chronic diseases explained, “It is not only the hi-fi processing food industries that must be targeted but even these local ones as we do not know what they are giving children in these small packets. Some pouches have foods like cheese balls, rolls, zig zag chips which are laced with a spicy red powder making one wonder what flavours are these.” The worst problem is that it is available at Rs 2, Rs 5 and Rs 10 making it very lucrative for the parents and children. There is a local made flavour called ‘Hyderabad Biryani’ which is available at Rs 2 per pack.
Dr Altaf Ahmed, paediatrician said, “Eating these foods on a regular basis has led to lots of complaints of severe stomach pain, frequent vomiting problems and also irritation in the throat. Children who regularly eat these foods require a very strong and aggressive method to wean them off but most of the times parents either don’t have the time or pay attention until it is too late.”
But the major issue unnerving the child rights activist is that there is very little attention paid to this. Educationist-social worker Malathi Balasubramanyam said, “For every action a complaint is required. Why can’t they go and do a pro-active job or picking up some samples just like they did in the case of Maggie.” The food inspectors at the Institute of Preventive Medicine who were approached have stated that the Centre has given a directive to pick up and analyse only the samples of Nestle for now.
Meanwhile Nestle India in its statement on their website on June 1 has stated that they have submitted samples of Maggi noodles to an external laboratory for independent analysis. The company too tested 1,000 batches in its accredited laboratory and the results show that lead levels are well within the limits specified by food regulations. The company has stated that they are monitoring the raw materials for lead.
