UP food regulator finds lead in Yippee noodles; to file case

Aligarh (UP), Aug 23: After Maggi, the Uttar Pradesh Food and Drug Authority (FDA) has found excess lead in Yippee noodles of domestic giant ITC Ltd and will soon file a case.

The FDA said that the samples of Yippee noodles, seized from a local mall here, have been found to contain lead "far in excess to the permissible limit".

"The laboratory report for these samples, which were received here yesterday, indicated that the lead content which should have been below 1 ppm was found to be 1.057 ppm", Head of Department FDA, Aligarh Division, Chandan Pandey told PTI.

On June 21, FDA authorities had seized 8 samples of different food products from a local mall including the sample of Yippee noodles. These samples were sent to the state laboratory at Lucknow and Meerut for testing, Pandey added.

Stating that excessive lead content can cause serious harm, particularly to children, he said that a report has been sent to the FDA Chief Commissioner for permission before filing an official case.

The process is expected to take a few weeks, he added. Incidentally, the troubles for Nestle India over 'excess' lead content in its Maggi noodles had also begun in UP first, while food regulators in other parts of the country and the central body FSSAI also later passed orders against the company.

The Bombay High Court, however, recently quashed the ban on Maggi noodles and had asked the government and the company to get the tests conducted again.