Indian Minister Defends Food Safety Standards Authority Over Maggi Noodles Controversy

Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan says if a company violates standards and misleads the consumer, the regulator cannot be responsible for it.

Maggi Noodles has been surrounded by controversy after its samples were found to contain more than the permissible quantity of lead by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Wednesday, June 3, 2015, defended the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) over the Maggi noodles controversy, and said that if a company violated the standards, the regulator cannot be responsible for it.

During a press conference the minister was asked whether the FSSAI was responsible for not checking the qualities of Maggi. Paswan said, "After getting license, if someone does wrong and misleads the consumer, how can FSSAI be held responsible?"

16 Samples of Maggi Collected in Bihar and Sent to Kolkata Laboratory for Testing
There is no testing facility in Bihar. So samples of Maggi noodles from across the state, including Patna, and have been sent to labs in Kolkata.

Paswan also said, "The government takes action only after written complaints are received. But in the case of Maggi, it has suo motu ordered the inquiry as the matter is concerned with the health of consumer, specially the children. Until the inquiry is completed, the government cannot take action either against the company or against the brand ambassadors."

Source-Medindia

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Maggi Noodles Taken Off Shelves in Walmart India, Big Bazaar and Kendriya Bhandar
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Samples of Maggi Noodles Collected Randomly from Across Himachal Pradesh
The Himachal Pradesh authorities have also collected samples of Maggi instant noodles from across the state on June 3, 2015, and sent them to a lab for testing.