JOIN USIn more trouble for Nestle over the Maggi row, government may seek damages from Nestle, dragging it to consumer court for “unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements”.
“On behalf of Indian consumers, the Department of Consumer Affairs has now filed a petition in the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC). It is based on the order of FSSAI saying that Nestle indulged in unfair trade practices and misleading advertisements,” a senior official said.
Asked if the government is claiming damages, the official said, “If NCDRC finds the firm was on the wrong side, it has the power to impose financial penalty.”
“We have sought Additional Solicitor General’s advice in this matter and he will appear on behalf of the government before NCDRC,” which has semi-judicial powers.
The development comes amidst the Indian unit of the Swiss multinational withdrawing Maggi from the markets after several states banned the famous ‘2-minute’ instant food brand as tests showed them containing taste enhancer MSG (Mono Sodium Glutamate) and lead in excess of the permissible limits.
Goa on Sunday became the 11th state to impose a ban on its sale even as Centre indicated that more fast food products could be probed.
“Since Maggi has been already banned across the country, we have decided not to take a chance and ban it in Goa,” Goa Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar told reporters in Mapusa town near Panaji.
Delhi, Maharashtra, Punjab, Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat and Uttarakhand earlier banned Maggi noodles amid mounting food safety concerns and several laboratory tests reporting excessive lead in it.
Central health watchdog FSSAI had on Friday banned all variants of Maggi noodles terming them “unsafe and hazardous” for human consumption.