Nestle India has announced that the samples of Maggi Noodles have passed tests conducted by three laboratories, as required by Bombay High Court, thereby enabling the company to bring back the instant noodles brand into the market by the end of this year.
The company stated that it will begin production and introduce the product into the market only "only after the newly manufactured products are also cleared by the designated three laboratories".
In a statement, Nestle India said: "We have received test results from all three laboratories mandated by the Hon'ble Bombay High Court to test Maggi Noodles samples. All the 90 samples, covering six variants, tested by these laboratories are clear, with lead much below the permissible limits.
Earlier, the firm stated that it intends to relaunch the instant noodles in the market by the end of this year.
"In compliance with the orders of the Hon'ble Bombay High Court, we will now commence manufacture and will start selling only after the newly manufactured products are also cleared by the designated three laboratories," the company added.
Stating that the noodles are safe for conumption, Nestle India said it has "conducted over 3,500 tests representing over 200 million packs in both national as well as international accredited laboratories and all reports are clear".
Several countries, including the UK, the US, Singapore, and Australia have found Maggi Noodles manufactured in India are safe for consumption.
The company stated that it will continue collaborating with the Indian food safety regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), as well as other stakeholders.
In June, the FSSAI banned the sale of Maggi noodles after it detected higher-than-permissible levels of lead, and high quantities of mono-sodium glutamade in tests carried out on a batch of products.
Following this, Nestle destroyed close to 27,420t of Maggi noodles, valued at around $50m.
The company challenged the Indian food safety regulator's ban and approached the Bombay High Court in August, which ordered the regulator to complete re-tests within six weeks, in court-appointed laboratories. The court also lifted the ban on Maggi noodles.
