The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has registered a case on unhealthy, endangered food sold across the country due to failure of the Food and Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
Acting on a petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy for immediate intervention, the apex human rights watchdog registered the case.
There has been hue and cry across India regarding the contents of Maggi noodles and milk powder sold by Nestle India. In Delhi and various other States, including Odisha the sample test of the products also is far below the standard.
The raging controversy over high lead content in Nestle’s ‘Maggi’ noodles, a sample of the company’s milk powder has been declared unsafe by the Tamil Nadu Food Safety Wing.
K Prem Ananth a Coimbatore-based taxi driver had purchased a 380 gm Nestle NAN PRO three carton, a milk powder for toddlers. His infant, who was fed the milk powder, allegedly developed skin allergy, and was admitted in a private paediatric care centre. Meanwhile, a report from analysts at the Food Analysis laboratory, Coimbatore, confirmed that the 380 gm sample contained 28 live larvae and 22 Sitophilus oryzae (rice weevils).
“The contents found in Maggi and Milk powder of Nestle are highly dangerous. The same has been widely reported across the Country. The failure of FSSAI in checking the food products that ultimately becomes a threat for human health amounts to serious violation of human rights,” said the petitioner.
The failure of broadcasting and telecasting authorities in checking the propaganda and publicity of wrong information over the food products also pose serious threat to the basic human rights of the citizens, Tripathy alleged.
He requested the NHRC to investigate the case and direct the FSSAI Chairman and Public Information and Broadcasting Secretary to regulate false propagation that endangers human lives and Health Ministry Secretary to protect basic human rights.