NEW DELHI: Singapore ’s food regulator declared Maggi noodles imported from India to be free from health risks, bringing some respite to Nestle. The manufacturer had been ordered to withdraw the locally made product from shelves in India because of excessive lead content and mislabeling.The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) ordered the resumption of India-made Maggi in the citystate, which has among the most stringent rules on public hygiene. Nestle India surged on the news, ending 9.4% up on the National Stock Exchange, its biggest daily increase in five years. The share had plunged by more than 10% last week as the controversy ballooned, culminating in the nationwide withdrawal of Maggi noodles ordered by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.Singapore had asked retailers to stop selling the product last week, pending tests, after the furore in India over the product. The island-nation imports a wide variety of foods made in the country to cater to expats and locals that are sold through stores such as Mustafa Centre in the Little India area.Results from AVA’s laboratory tests showed that the India-made Maggi instant noodles met local food safety standards, according to a report in The Straits Times. The Maggi noodles exported to Singapore is identical to the product sold in India, said a company spokesperson. “They are manufactured at the same plants,” the person said.AVA also tested Maggi instant noodles produced in other countries and these too met food safety requirements, the report said. At press time, the UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) hadn’t reached any conclusion on India-made Maggi noodles. The FSA was checking whether the product contained excessive levels of MSG along with Nestle UK and the European Commission.Nestle UK only imports the masala flavour of the product from India, the FSA said on its website. It also said that the “batch of noodles originally tested by the authorities in India, which was found to contain lead, was not sold in the UK… Following the incident in India, we have taken the decision to test for levels of lead in a selection of Maggi noodles as a precaution.”A spokesperson from the Food Standards Agency said: “The FSA is now testing this (masala) flavour and other flavours as a precaution. As tests are currently ongoing, these results are not available at this time.We have requested the information on the test results and batches involved from the Indian authorities via European Commission channels.” The India and Singapore food regulators couldn’t immediately be reached for a response.Maggi noodles became an integral part of the Indian diet after being launched in the country in the early 1980s. Nestle’s troubles began when excessive levels of lead were found in samples tested by the Uttar Pradesh regulator. The day before FSSAI issued its order, Nestle decided to withdraw Maggi noodles from shelves in India.“We withdrew the product from shelves because consumers' trust was shaken,” said Nestle global CEO Paul Bulcke in New Delhi last week. “We want Maggi noodles back on shelves as soon as possible.” The food regulator rejected Nestle’s queries regarding testing procedures in India. FSSAI said the tests had been carried out on the noodles and the seasoning or tastemaker together and separately.It also admonished the company for labeling the pack with the line ‘No added MSG’ (monosodium glutamate), saying this was unacceptable in markets such as the US. FSSAI has since ordered the testing of other noodle brands.