Odisha to test all instant noodles brands

Bhubaneswar: After banning Nestle India's Maggi noodles, the Odisha government on Tuesday decided to test all brands of instant noodles being sold across the state.

"We have asked the district collectors to check all noodle products available in the state," Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak told reporters here.

"They have been asked to collect samples from noodle products being manufactured in the state and imported from other states."

He said the collected samples would be sent to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) accredited Central Food Laboratory at Pune for testing.

"Action would be taken against the manufacturers if food safety standards are found violated," said Nayak.

The state took the decision following the advisory of FSSAI to withdraw samples of a variety of instant noodles, pastas and macaroni and their tastemakers for which product approvals have been granted by the regulatory authority.

The Odisha government on Monday banned the sale of all Maggi noodle products in the state after finding monosodium glutamate (MSG) content in the products.

Several international companies and state-based food processing companies are selling noodle products in the state.

The Odisha government is also mulling a crackdown on packaged water and milk products in the state after testing the samples, said official sources.