Since I’ve been forced, kicking and screaming, to progress from young adult to slightly older young adult, my average meal preparation time has increased steadily. I don’t profess to know much about whipping up a tasty meal from scratch but, as a general rule, anything that can be prepared in two minutes by adding hot water and a sachet of MSG can’t be good for you.

Well finicky parents have finally had their fears confirmed as Maggi noodles were taken off shelves in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and South Sudan. The supermarket chain Nakumatt were forced to act and issue the product recall after a partial ban on the noodles in India. Here’s the BBC:

Indian food regulators said that tests revealed high lead levels in the product, describing it as “unsafe and hazardous”, leading to a ban on the product in several states.

Nestle says that since Indian regulators raised their concerns, it has tested a batch of 1,000 Maggi noodles in the country and found “lead levels.. well within the limits specified by food regulations”.

I think Nestlé could reveal high levels of chemical waste and asbestos and consumers would still gobble Maggi’s delights without a second thought. You’ll have to find more than lead to ruin the staple diets of students and broke young professionals the world over.

[source:bbc]