Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institute (BSTI) authorities have declared that Nestle’s Maggi and four other brands of noodles, manufactured in Bangladesh, were not harmful.
The regulatory organisation, which monitors the quality of products and services in Bangladesh, did not detect any ingredient above harmful levels, said BSTI Director Kamal Prasad Das.
The four other brands tested are Kallol Thai Food’s Mama, Ifad Multi Product’s Ifad Eggy, Natore Agro's Mister and New Zealand Dairy’s Doodles.
While talking to the Bangla Tribune, a sister concern of the Dhaka Tribune, the BSTI director said: “We have tested five brands which are being processed and manufactured in Bangladesh.
“We did not detect any ingredient above harmful levels in these. However, the worry is still there as the samples of the noodles imported from abroad are yet to be tested.”
He further said they were testing some more samples. “Measures would be taken immediately if anything harmful is found in those."
The test was initiated after dangerous level of lead was reportedly found in Maggi instant noodles, manufactured by Nestle in India.
The 2-minute noodles have come under the regulatory scanner in India after samples collected in some parts of Uttar Pradesh were found to contain added monosodium glutamate (MSG) and lead in excess of the permissible limit.
The Lucknow Food Safety and Drug Administration has initiated an inquiry and written to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) in New Delhi, seeking to cancel the licence for Maggi, reported several Indian news outlets.
The state regulator has also asked FSSAI to order sampling of the product from across the country to check its quality.
However, Nestle, which manufactures Maggi, maintains that it does not add monosodium glutamate to the product, whereas the presence of excess lead is "surprising" for the company.
Meanwhile, the sales of Maggie noodles have decreased in Bangladesh following the complaint.
