The food safety regulator on Friday said it is taking legal action against Nestle India Ltd after finding that a baby food sample violated quality standards and two other infant nutrition products were promoted in contravention of the rules for such products.
The regulations specify a standardized reference range for biotin, more commonly known as vitamin B7, in baby food. Maggi later returned to shelves after fresh tests. The company’s shares fell almost 3% after the news of the regulatory action but recovered to close nearly flat. Additionally, FSSAI said it had found issues with the promotion of two other baby food products– NAN Excella Pro Stage 1 and Lactogen Pro 1. Nestle fell foul of the food regulator in 2015, when its popular Maggi noodles were banned over alleged excess lead levels and labelling lapses, triggering a massive recall.
Nestle said its products are “fully compliant with all the applicable regulations” and that it will continue to work closely with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India ( FSSAI ). “The sample was subsequently referred for re-analysis, and the referral laboratory also found the sample non-confirming with respect to the prescribed Biotin requirement under the Food Safety and Standards (Foods for Infant Nutrition) Regulations, 2020,” said FSSAI.
