(Image source from: After Pesticola)

Firstly, it is low-priced. It can be prepared instantly and it is tasty. All in all, Maggi became a much sought after snack for Indian households. This was Yesterday’s story.

Recently when many expressed doubts about the quality of Maggi, Nestle India says that it has got Maggi samples tested in an external laboratory as well as in house and that the product was found "safe to eat". Nestle thought that this would bring the issue to an end.

But soon after officials at the food analysis laboratory in Coimbatore confirmed the presence of worms in the milk powder and certified it as unsafe for consumption.

Adding to that the AAP government in Delhi said on Tuesday samples of Maggi noodles it tested were found “unsafe” and officials of manufacturer Nestle India will be summoned, as the popular instant snack brand faced the heat from authorities across the country.

 “On an average, the samples contained 3.5 ppm of lead (anything above 2.5 parts per million is considered too much). The highest was 4.59 ppm,” said health minister Satyendra Jain. “I have asked the Commissioner of Food Safety to study the report. We will take action accordingly.”

The Delhi government has decided to initiate a case against the company for selling an unsafe product and impose a financial penalty for “misbranding”, officials said.

Now officials in several other states, including Haryana, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Bihar, Punjab, Maharashtra, Assam and Tamil Nadu, said they had sent samples for testing at government labs.

If this is not enough, a Bihar court order on Tuesday directed police to register an FIR against two officials of Nestle India and Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta, who have promoted the two-minute snack in advertisements. The Muzaffarpur court stated that arrests will be made, if required.

In Kerala, the state food ministry decided to pull Maggi noodles from government-run supermarkets and grocery outlets, known as Supply co. This is a major setback for Maggi.

“Last week, we decided not to take fresh stocks until Nestle is cleared of all charges. Around 1,700 outlets have taken the product off their shelves,” food minister Anoop Jacob said.

- Manohar. M