Nestle, a multinational Food and Beverage Company, is challenging the Food Safety Regulators in India to retest Maggi following claims that the product allegedly has monosodium glutamate (MSG) and excess lead, Reuters reported.
Nestle said that there were more than 2,700 samples of Maggi noodles that had undergone testing in laboratories in India and abroad in the recent months. Each test confirmed that the level of lead was far below the permissible limits.
In May, a regulator at Uttar Pradesh, northern state said that they found lead, which is above the permissible level in the sample noodles. This was denied by Nestle, and the debate led the company to question the capacity of India's safety standards and testing.
The government filed a lawsuit on behalf of the affected consumers, citing unfair trade practices by selling defective goods and sale of product without approval. It was filed with the National Consumers Disputes Redressal Commission.
The class action suit filed by the government of India against Nestle is scheduled to be heard by the apex consumer disputes forum on Friday, the Business Standard learned.
"The punitive damages have been claimed on account of gross negligence, apathy and callousness on the part of the opponent company," said the media officer from the Department of Consumers Affairs.
"We have not received any official notice about the complaint," said the spokesperson from Nestle. "We will try to respond after receiving the official papers and upon consultations with our legal team."
Nestle was forced to withdraw Maggi stocks from all over the country in June when the food scare broke, according to First Post. Maggi instant noodles are popular in India as a cheap, quick snack common to school children and office workers.
The results of the retest, if it were conducted, were not yet divulged in the public.
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