UP finds popular noodle brands substandard

After Maggi storm, Uttar Pradesh food safety department has found samples of some other instant noodle brands "sub-standard" with ash content in the tastemaker exceeding the prescribed limits, reported PTI.

"The samples of Knorr Soupy Noodles, Horlicks Foodles Noodles and Ching's Hot Garlic Instant Noodles were picked up from a mall in the city in May last year for testing and its report was received about a fortnight ago," said, Sanjay Singh, the Food Safety Officer of Barabanki district.

The samples were sent to government Food Analysis Lab in Lucknow where it was found that "total ash of the tastemaker exceeds the maximum prescribed limits...hence the samples are sub-standard," Singh said.

Against the prescribed limit of one per cent, ash content was found to be 1.83 per cent in Ching's noodles, while in Foodles it was 2.37 per cent and in Soupy noodles it was 1.89 per cent, he claimed.

Notices were sent to all the three companies a week ago giving them a month's time to make an appeal, he said. But no comments were received from companies.

Further, Singh said the report did not mention the health hazards caused by ash content higher than prescribed limits. UP Food Safety Department in May last had found high lead content and presence of taste enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG) in samples of Maggi noodles.

Later in June, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) banned Maggi noodles, alleging that the instant noodles were "unsafe and hazardous" due to higher than permissible lead content and presence of MSG.