Maharashtra government bans Maggi

Maharashtra government on Friday decided to put a ban on Maggi noodles after some samples were found to contain lead above the permissible limit.

The announcement was made by Food and Civil Supplies Minister Girish Bapat at a press conference in Pune on Friday night.

Three of the six samples collected from places including Pune, Kolhapur and Aurangabad were found to contain lead above the permissible limit, the minister said.

The ban on Maggi will be in force from June 6, the minister said, adding that action will be taken against anyone found selling it.

Maharashtra's action came in the wake of several states banning the popular noodles following controversy over its content.

Earlier in the day, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration said Maggi noodles samples it tested were found to contain lead within permissible limits.

"Lead content in Maggi noodles samples we tested were found to be within permissible limits," FDA Commissioner Harshadeep Kamble said.

Laboratory reports of nine samples collected from Mumbai, Thane and Sangli became available on Friday. These samples showed lead content ranging from .04 to 1.48 parts per million, the senior IAS official said.

The permissible level is 2.5 parts per million.