Nestle India Asks Apex Consumer Court Why Fresh Tests on Maggi Noodles

Nestle India has asked the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission why fresh tests were being ordered on Maggi noodles on food safety when a similar exercise has already been conducted as per directions of the Bombay High Court.

The matter came up before the apex consumer court which heard it for nearly three hours. The bench of Justice V.K. Jain and Justice B.C. Gupta was hearing a class action suit filed against Nestle India. It said, "The commission would hear the application again on October 15, 2015, with regard to fresh tests on Maggi samples."

Nestle's attorney asked about the suit filed by the consumer affairs ministry for alleged unfair trade practices by Nestle. He said, "We are waiting for the results of the samples from three government-recommended laboratories as it was ordered by the high court. As such what is the need of parallel tests. Sampling should not be done to devalue the larger bench."

The counsel said, "Apprehensions about the samples being tampered with cannot be ruled out as they were not recommended either by the FSSAI officials or the consumer directly."

On the issue of monosodium glutamate (MSG), the attorney said, "MSG was permitted for seasoning in noodles and since the product was not meant for children below 12 months of age, mentioning 'No added MSG' on the packet was not mandatory."

Source: IANS