Deep Impact! After Maggie and Knorr, Top Ramen leaves the shelf!

The instant noodles market is in a tizzy following the Maggie crisis. After Nestle’s Maggie, Indo Nissin too has withdrawn its instant noodles brand Top Ramen from the market n receiving orders from central food safety regulator FSSAI.
According to a report by ET, the Maggie controversy also forced FMCG giant Hindustan Unilever to withdraw its Knorr instant noodles brand over safety and regulatory issues. It should be noted that earlier this month, FSSAI had issued an advisory regarding product safety testing of all instant noodle products in the country after high lead and MSG content was found beyond the permissible limit.

"At that time we had sought clarification from FSSAI since Top Ramen product approval is pending with the regulator. They have requested us to withdraw the product until they give the product approval," said Gautam Sharma, managing director of Indo Nissin Foods Pvt Ltd in a statement.

He added that the product was tested extensively in the past few weeks after safety concerns were raised by the food authority in the category. "We have tested at two FSSAI accredited independent laboratories and shared the results with FSSAI a few weeks ago. While many Top Ramen samples have been tested by various state FDAs across India, only in two cases - slightly higher lead level has been found in the tastemaker," he noted.
Image: Indiatimes.com