Amid a row over Maggi noodles allegedly failing to meet food safety standards, the Haryana Government on Wednesday said there have been no negative reports about the samples tested so far. “The tests conducted on Maggi and masala (tastemaker) samples by Haryana Food and Drugs Administration Department showed that added MSG (monosodium glutamate) is negative and lead content within permissible limits,” said Haryana Director General of National Health Mission, S Narayanan.
He said that the Department had collected 134 samples of the popular instant food and tastemaker from across the state. “The samples were tested keeping in view aspects to see that harmful chemical substances, if any, mixed in Maggi could be detected,” said he. He pointed out, “While it is mandatory to declare the quantity of MSG added in any eatable product, none of the packets had any mention of quantity of MSG added to it.”
Narayanan said that to check the level of lead in Maggi, its samples were sent to the laboratory at PGIMER, Chandigarh as there is no such facility or laboratory in Haryana to test it. He added that in test reports the quantity of lead was found within prescribed limits. Narayanan informed that the state Health Minister Anil Vij has stated that if required, the samples would again be sent for testing at any other laboratory.