New Delhi: The government filed a class action suit against the Nestle India on Tuesday and Swiss manufacturer of Maggi noodles for seeking about Rs 640 crore in damages for the malpractices in trade false labelling and also misleading the advertisements with wrong taglines.
Swiss manufacturer is the first company that the Consumer Affairs Ministry has dragged the case to National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission(NCDRC) using a provision in nearly three-decade-old Consumer Protection Act. This came into light this week when Nestle had to withdraw its instant noodles brand Maggi from the market over allegations of high lead content and presence of MSG(monosodium glutamate)
“We had earlier recommended filing a complaint against Nestle India over the Maggi issue before the NCDRC. Finally, we have filed the complaint,” Food and Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said. The Consumer Affairs Ministry did not share the punitive damages sought by the government, but said that the new consumer protection bill was that introduced in Parliament yesterday, would further strengthen the redressal of the consumer grievances.
Nestle India was charged a petition by NCDRC even for misleading consumers by its advertisements and taglines like- “Taste bhi health bhi”.
The company said that there is no added MSG, although it was found to be present. The ministry mentioned this in its complaint. In June food safety regulator FSSAI had banned Maggi noodles after it found excess level of lead in samples, terming it as “unsafe and hazardous” for human consumption. FSSAI had also said Nestle violated labelling regulations on taste enhancer ‘MSG’ and ordered the company to submit a compliance report on its orders.
