The Bombay High Court in Nagpur set aside a criminal case against Nestle India Ltd. and its executives, which was filed due to concerns over the safety and quality of Maggi Instant Noodles.
According to a Bar and Bench report, in a ruling dated January 7, Justice Urmila Joshi Phalke quashed the case filed under the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) Act, citing an invalid laboratory report as the basis for the dismissal. The court concluded that the prosecution could not proceed because the report relied upon was not conducted in a properly accredited laboratory.
As per the report, the court clarified that, under Section 43(1) of the FSS Act, food testing must be performed by laboratories accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), as well as recognized by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). The lab in question, the Referral Food Laboratory in Ghaziabad, did not meet this criterion, leading the court to rule the testing as inadmissible.
Maggi noodles faced a nationwide ban in June 2015 after allegations surfaced that the product contained chemicals exceeding permissible limits. Nestle India was forced to recall and destroy 38,000 tonnes of Maggi noodles. The ban was lifted in November 2015, following further testing that deemed the product safe for consumption.
In 2015, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs also filed a complaint against Nestle India under the Consumer Protection Act, accusing the company of misleading consumers and engaging in unfair trade practices concerning Maggi noodles. This case marked the first time such a provision had been invoked in the Act’s history.