What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, right?

Perhaps that’s not the best outlook to have when it comes to Maggi Noodles.

Nestlé India, the country’s producer of the two-minute snack loved by lazy parents and broke students alike, has been hit with a “hefty fine for selling substandard instant noodles” after tests found “high ash and lead content,” reports Sky News.

The Indian court has now ordered the firm to pay 4,5 million rupees (R956 000) after samples tested in a 2015 case came up toxic. They also fined the company’s distributors 2,6 million rupees (R551 000):

The case against the Swiss food giant’s Indian unit is one of several brought by regulators after they found excess lead, ash and flavour enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG) in samples seized in the state of Uttar Pradesh between 2015 and 2016.

Although I’m not into eating lead and ash, this is Aromat country so MSG for the win.

But big companies being big companies with an inability to accept responsibility, Nestlé India said it will be appealing the decision:

“This appears to be a case of application of incorrect standards, and we will file an appeal urgently once we receive the order.”

Maggie Noodles are Nestlé India’s biggest earner, so it’s little wonder why the company is fighting so hard.

However, this isn’t the first hurdle they have had to get over: in 2015, the noodles were banned for six months “following allegations it contained chemicals beyond the allowed limits”:

The manufacturer was forced to recall 38,000 tonnes of noodles from millions of shelves to destroy them.

At the time Nestlé India said:

“Maggi Noodles are completely safe and have been trusted in India for over 30 years.

“The trust of our consumers and the safety of our products is our first priority. Unfortunately, recent developments and unfounded concerns about the product have led to an environment of confusion for the consumer, to such an extent that we have decided to withdraw the product off the shelves, despite the product being safe.

“We promise that the trusted Maggi Noodles will be back in the market as soon as the current situation is clarified.”

Shucks – you’re about ready to panic, right? Hold up, because we get our noodles from Nestlé South Africa. No idea what the future holds, but for now you can still get your MSG-laden cheap treat without worrying about ash and lead.

[source:skynews]