Army asks personnel not to consume Maggi

The Indian Army on Wednesday issued an advisory asking its personnel not to consume Maggi noodles and directed military canteens to set aside the existing stock of the popular snack until further orders.

The order issued in the evening, comes in the wake of a controversy over alleged presence of lead and taste enhancer monosodium glutamate in the noodles beyond permissible limits.

The order, in a fresh setback to brand owner Nestle, covers over 1,000 army canteens and the complete 13-lakh strong army.

"The advisory is effective till further order," an army official said.

Maggi is one of the most consumed food item among the army personnel.

The Union government has referred the Maggi issue to the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission to take appropriate action, even as more states -- Odisha, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal -- lifted samples for laboratory testing.

Consumer cooperative society Kendriya Bhandar is withdrawing Maggi noodles from its 130 stores in and outside Delhi.

The noodles brand, a household name, was also banned in Delhi for 15 days and existing stocks were ordered to be withdrawn while retail major Future Group stopped sale of the popular instant snack at its Big Bazaar outlets.

Maggi noodles has been at the centre of a controversy after UP Food Safety and Drug Administration tests found higher than stipulated levels of lead and MSG in it.

However, Nestle India claimed it got the samples tested in an external laboratory as well as in-house and that the product was found "safe to eat".