Indo Nissin, the Indian unit of Japanese food giant Nissin, has confirmed the withdrawal of its Top Ramen noodles from the market following a request from the country's food regulator.
The company said that it is taking the instant noodle brand off the shelves pending product approval from the Indian food safety regulator, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.
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At the beginning of June, the FSSAI issued an advisory on product testing of all noodle products on sale in India, following the discovery of what it claimed were elevated levels of lead and the ingredient MSG in Nestle's Maggi brand noodles. Nestle has refuted the claims and repeatedly insisted that its Maggi noodles are "safe" following its own extensive testing.
Based on this advisory, Indo Nissin said that it "sought clarification" from the FSSAI since the Top Ramen product approval is pending with the regulator. "They have requested us to withdraw the product until they give the product approval. We hope to get the approval soon from FSSAI and be back in the market providing safe and affordable food products as we have done for over 24 years," Indo Nissin said in a statement.
Top Ramen has been in the Indian market since 1991 and Indo Nissin stressed that the brand has "never had any product safety issue or product recall" in that period.
"It is manufactured in company owned factories with the highest quality and safety standards in keeping with its Japanese heritage," the company insisted.
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By GlobalDataThe news comes amid reports of a "crackdown" from the FSSAI over food products on the market which are not approved by the safety watchdog.
