Will comply with court order to undertake fresh tests: Nestle

Nestle India today said it will comply with the order to undertake fresh tests while welcoming Bombay High Court's judgment that quashed ban on Maggi instant noodles in the country.

"Nestle India respects the decision made on August 13 by the Honourable Bombay High Court to revoke the ban order passed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and FDA, Maharashtra, on Maggi noodles and will comply with the order to undertake fresh tests," the company said in a statement.

Nestle India remains committed to working with FSSAI, FDA Maharashtra and other stakeholders, it added.

It, however, did not spell out on how soon the company would start manufacturing and selling the instant noodles.

In a BSE filing, Nestle India said, "Manufacture and sale of Maggi noodles is subject to certain conditions, which will be informed after the judgment is received."

"We await copy of the judgment," the company said.

"It is Nestle India's endeavour to get Maggi noodles back on the shelves as soon as possible for the benefit of consumers."

Earlier, in the day, the Bombay High Court quashed orders of Indian food regulators banning nine variants of the noodles brand in the country after observing that principles of natural justice were not followed.

A division bench of the high court allowed Nestle to go in for fresh test by sending five samples of each variant of noodles to three independent laboratories in Punjab, Hyderabad and Jaipur that are accredited with the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration laboratories (NABl).

These would be taken out of the 750 samples preserved by the company following the ban imposed by FSSAI in June.

The ban on Maggi had hit Nestle India's earnings and the company reported a standalone loss of Rs 64.40 crore for the June quarter— its first quarterly loss in over three decades. It had posted a net profit of Rs 287.86 crore in April-June of 2014-15.