Bugs and Approvals, another controversy brewing with Baba Ramdev’s Noodles?

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev planned to take on the instant noodles market with his ‘healthy alternative’ you could have instead - Patanjali Atta (wheat) noodles. Few weeks into the launch, and the noodles is already getting into trouble, just like the man himself.

According to Zee News reports, bugs were found in a packet of Patanjali’s Atta noodles in Jind, Haryana. These bugs were spotted inside a sealed pack and the customer is reportedly gearing up to sue the company.

Also, India’s food regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has said that Ramdev’s company Patanjali Ayurved didn’t have approvals for instant noodles before it’s launch. Patanjali officials however said it is not required to get a product specific approval to launch instant noodles. They argue noodles falls under the ‘pasta’ category, and they had a license for the same.

While many dismiss these initial reports, there is no denying that incidents like these could snowball into a bigger controvery. Patanjali noodles has huge potential in a market where people are increasingly looking for quick and easy meal. While a sizeable chunk of the pie is hooked onto Maggi, Patanjali’s low prices give it the edge in an increasingly crowded market. Most of it’s products sell at 30-50% cheaper rates than it’s peers from multinational brands.

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