Received notice from FSSAI over instant noodles: Patanjali
No licence was granted to Patanjali for instant noodles, says FSSAI chairperson
New Delhi: Patanjali Ayurved, the FMCGventure promoted by yoga guru Ramdev today said it has received a notice from food safety regulator FSSAI, which had accused it of launching instant noodles without approval.
"We have received notice from FSSAI today and we will reply to it," a company spokesperson told PTI here without elaborating details.
Last week Central Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had said Patanjali did not have approval for its newly-launched instant noodles, but the company had strongly denied it.
FSSAI Chairperson Ashish Bahuguna had stated that no approval or licence was granted to Patanjali for its instant noodles, and for instant noodles companies needed to take prior approval. He had said Patanjali Ayurved had not taken approval for it.
Patanjali, however, strongly denied FSSAI's claims and insisted that it has licence for Pasta, under which noodles fall, as per the regulator's classification.
The company further said FSSAI has already admitted that it was no longer possible for the regulator to continue with process of product approvals, which was facilitated through an advisory in May 2013, following a Supreme Court order in August this year that upheld an order of Bombay High Court on the issue.
According to FSSAI's May 2013 advisory, food products covering a broad spectrum including "novel foods, functional foods, food supplements, irradiated foods, genetically modified foods, foods for special dietary uses or extracts or concentrates of botanicals, herbs or of animal sources" should apply for product approval.
The High Court had ruled that the advisory does not have any statutory backing, but the FSSAI had approached the apex court against the verdict. Patanjali had launched 'Atta Noodles' earlier this month in 70 gram packs priced at Rs 15, claiming to be cheaper than competitors, with an eye to take on market leader Nestle's maggi, which returned to the shelves five months after FSSAI had banned it.