Delhi govt bans Maggi for 15 days

This comes after the Delhi government on Tuesday said samples that it tested were found "unsafe".

The Delhi government officials said high lead levels were detected in 10 out of 13 packets of Maggi noodles tested from around the National Capital Region. Five samples contained MSG which is not mentioned in the packaging.

Two top officials from Nestle India met with Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Kumar Jain and other senior officials of the Delhi government after they were summoned by the government.

Addressing a press conference, Jain said: "The government has imposed a ban on Maggi for  15 days."

In a major setback for Nestle India, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India has ordered all states and Union Territories to test all variants of Maggi noodles.

FSSAI has also stated that celebrities endorsing the brand can be held accountable and face upto Rs 10 lakh as fine.

According to reports, results of the tests have to be submitted by June 5.

In fact amid a nationwide panic over Maggi Noodles containing harmful ingredients like lead and mono-sodium glutamate or MSG, shares in Nestle dropped nearly 10 per cent in morning trade on Wednesday.

Many other states said they are now testing Maggi, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

Even Kerala has ordered a pullout of Maggi noodles from government-run outlets.

The Kerala State Civil Supplies Corporation said the ban has been imposed "in the light of reports on the presence of some chemicals which are hazardous to human health."

In Bihar, acting on a petition filed by a lawyer, a court has directed that an FIR be registered against Bollywood stars Amitabh Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta, who have featured in Maggi noodle advertisements.

Earlier, Nestle India had claimed that extensive testing reveals no excess lead in Maggi Noodles.