bdnews24.com :
After Indian authorities ordered recall of Maggi noodles from the shops, Bangladesh is also testing the product marketed by Nestle.
The Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institution (BSTI) has gathered samples of noodles marketed by four other companies, said its Assistant Director Golam Baqui on Sunday.
They are New Zealand Dairy’s ‘Doodles’, Kallol Thai Food’s ‘Mama’, Ifad Multi Product’s ‘Ifad Eggy’ and ‘Mister’ marketed by Pran Group’s concern Natore Agro.
“Five samples of Maggi noodles have been collected and they were sent to the lab on Sunday. The results are expected in a week,” Baqui told bdnews24.com.
According to him, products were tested ‘regularly’ in Bangladesh, but this one was initiated after ‘dangerous level of lead’ was found in instant noodles, manufactured by Nestle in India.
The Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) in Uttar Pradesh said high lead content was found during routines tests on two dozen packets of the noodles.
According to FDA, all the packets tested were contaminated.
Test results found a lead concentration of 17.2 parts per million (ppm), nearly seven times the permissible limit. The acceptable limit of lead ranges between 0.01 ppm and 2.5 ppm.
Scientists also found high levels of added monosodium glutamate (MSG), a taste enhancer, in the noodles.
bdnews24.com contacted Nestle Bangladesh over the BSTI initiative, but was told that the official authorised to speak on the matter, Nakib Khan, was now in India and will comment once he was back.
Nestle India, a subsidiary of Swiss-based Nestle SA, said it had strict safety and quality controls in place for all raw materials used to make Maggi noodles, Reuters news agency said.
A company spokesperson confirmed the FDA had ordered it to withdraw the batch dating back to March 2014.
The BSTI, however, says the possibility of high level lead concentration in Bangladeshi products was less.
“If there is harmful ingredient in the soil, it finds way into the produces and then to the products. But recent soil tests did not suggest there were elements like lead, MSG,” said BSTI Director (Certified Mark) Kamal Prasad Das.
After Indian authorities ordered recall of Maggi noodles from the shops, Bangladesh is also testing the product marketed by Nestle.
The Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institution (BSTI) has gathered samples of noodles marketed by four other companies, said its Assistant Director Golam Baqui on Sunday.
They are New Zealand Dairy’s ‘Doodles’, Kallol Thai Food’s ‘Mama’, Ifad Multi Product’s ‘Ifad Eggy’ and ‘Mister’ marketed by Pran Group’s concern Natore Agro.
“Five samples of Maggi noodles have been collected and they were sent to the lab on Sunday. The results are expected in a week,” Baqui told bdnews24.com.
According to him, products were tested ‘regularly’ in Bangladesh, but this one was initiated after ‘dangerous level of lead’ was found in instant noodles, manufactured by Nestle in India.
The Food Safety and Drug Administration (FDA) in Uttar Pradesh said high lead content was found during routines tests on two dozen packets of the noodles.
According to FDA, all the packets tested were contaminated.
Test results found a lead concentration of 17.2 parts per million (ppm), nearly seven times the permissible limit. The acceptable limit of lead ranges between 0.01 ppm and 2.5 ppm.
Scientists also found high levels of added monosodium glutamate (MSG), a taste enhancer, in the noodles.
bdnews24.com contacted Nestle Bangladesh over the BSTI initiative, but was told that the official authorised to speak on the matter, Nakib Khan, was now in India and will comment once he was back.
Nestle India, a subsidiary of Swiss-based Nestle SA, said it had strict safety and quality controls in place for all raw materials used to make Maggi noodles, Reuters news agency said.
A company spokesperson confirmed the FDA had ordered it to withdraw the batch dating back to March 2014.
The BSTI, however, says the possibility of high level lead concentration in Bangladeshi products was less.
“If there is harmful ingredient in the soil, it finds way into the produces and then to the products. But recent soil tests did not suggest there were elements like lead, MSG,” said BSTI Director (Certified Mark) Kamal Prasad Das.
