Bangladesh’s standardisation regulator, the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institute (BSTI), is set to test Maggi noodles to ascertain whether it contains a hazardous substance called Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) or not. Maggi is a popular product of Nestlé SA, a Swiss multinational food and beverage giant.

Concerns have been raised after Maggi noodles, one of the most popular go-to snacks, came under fire in neighboring India after some of its samples in the state of Uttar Pradesh were found to be high in MSG and lead.

Kamal Prashad Das, Director of the Certification of Marks (CM) at the BSTI, told The Independent that Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is not permissible ‘at all’ in any of the packaged foods in Bangladesh. “Since concerns have been raised about Maggi noodles, we will send some surveillance teams to collect random samples of Maggi noodles from the market and test them in the BSTI laboratory,” he said.

MSG is a flavour enhancer that is added to food products to bring out the savoury taste. The ‘glutamate’ part of MSG is the key element. Since MSG has been linked to cancer in several countries including India, there are strict controls over its permissible limits.

The Director of CM at BSTI further informed that the Indian Standard (IS) allows a permissible limit of MSG in some of the packaged foods. “If you look at the packet of some of the products in India, you will find that MSG has a certain IS number and it is mentioned whether the MSG in that particular product is within the limit or not,” he said.

However, India’s Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA), lays down in its regulation that MSG cannot be used in ‘pasta’ or ‘noodles’. Hence, every packet of Maggi noodles in India issues a cautionary message stating “No added MSG”.

“But in Bangladesh, we don’t need such a cautionary message because MSG is not included in the BDS (Bangladesh Standard) and we don’t allow MSG in any of the packaged products here,” Das said.

When asked if the BSTI would go on to ban any product if MSG is found in it, Das said, “Yes, of course. We will first issue a notice to the company to withdraw the product from the market. If they fail to do so, we can even cancel the license of the product”.

Meanwhile, in a statement sent by Nestlé Bangladesh to The Independent, Farah S Aolad, the spokesperson for Nestlé Bangladesh said that the case was an isolated incident in India. “The quality and safety of our products is the top priority for the company.

The recent news is an isolated event in India for a particular batch of Maggi noodles and is being suitably addressed by Nestlé India,” he wrote.

The statement further said: “Maggi noodles in Bangladesh is produced locally at our Sreepur factory maintaining all the food laws and regulations applicable for Bangladesh.

We regularly monitor our products for food safety as part of our stringent quality control processes, including testing by accredited laboratories. These tests have consistently shown Maggi noodles to be compliant with all food safety norms and safe for consumption by the entire family.”

Speaking to The Independent, Dr Belal Hossain, Food Advisor of the Consumer Association of Bangladesh (CAB) said that the BSTI should immediately test Maggi noodles. “If the same product in India is found to contain MSG, then as a neighboring country, we also should raise the cautionary bar,” he said.

He further pointed to the prevalence of food adulteration in Bangladesh. “It’s true that Nestle is a globally renowned multinational company. But their product has become questionable now,” he said.

India’s FSDA in Uttar Pradesh earlier collected more than two dozen packs of instant noodles from stores across the state and tested each pack separately before making the findings public. According to a Reuters report, they found a lead concentration of 17.2 parts per million (ppm), which is way beyond the permissible limit. They also found very high levels of MSG.

The Reuters report also said that a spokesperson from Nestle India had confirmed that they had been asked to withdraw the batch dating back to March 2014, but the items concerned had either already been consumed or were beyond the sell-by date, making the recall difficult.

According to the Codex Standards (FAO standards), acid regulators, flavour enhancers, thickeners, humectants, colours, stabilisers, anti-oxidants, emulsifiers, flour treatment agents, preservatives and anti-caking agents are allowed for use in the making of instant noodles like Maggi.