NEW DELHI: The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India ( FSSAI ) has denied ordering recall of any batch of Maggi noodles. The Central food safety regulator said that it is waiting to examine the initial report from the state enforcement agencies in Uttar Pradesh which found the product containing added monosodium glutamate ( MSG ) and lead in excess of the permissible limit.

“We have not yet ordered any recall. We are waiting to see the report from UP and may order countrywide sampling after that,” a senior official in the FSSAI told TOI.

When contacted, Nestle spokesperson also confirmed that the company has not received any communication from the regulator seeking countrywide recall.

This came in the wake of some news reports saying food inspectors have ordered Nestle India to recall a batch of Maggi noodles from shops across the country.

Last week, TOI had reported that the 2-minute noodles has come under regulatory scanner after samples collected in some parts of Uttar Pradesh were found containing added MSG and lead in excess of the permissible limit. The Lucknow Food Safety and Drug Administration ( FSDA ) had initiated inquiry and written to the FSSAI in New Delhi seeking to cancel the licence for Maggi.

READ ALSO: ‘Maggi’ under regulatory scanner for lead, MSG beyond permissible limit

UP FSDA assistant commissioner Vijay Bahadur Yadav said the final report of the investigation is yet to come and a recall of the product can be ordered only after confirmatory reports are examined.

Initial sampling of Maggi noodles and test results in UP showed the product containing 17 parts per million lead, whereas the permissible limit is 0.01ppm. Nestle says its records show lead content is negligible and less than 1 % of the fixed limit.

Monosodium glutamate, a kind of amino acid which occurs naturally in many agricultural products, is often also added artificially to packaged food to enhance flavour. Regulators and experts say such additives can be harmful for health, mainly for children. Food safety regulations mandate companies to specify on the packaging if MSG has been added.

Reuters has been sharing this story on recall: Food inspectors order recall batch of Maggi noodles from shops across country over excess lead