Ramdev’s Patanjali Noodles Have No Approval, Says FSSAI

The Food Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has said the atta noodles has not obtained mandatory licences from the food regulator.

The remarks come in the wake of a top FSSAI official claiming that Patanjali’s instant noodles was launched without its product approval.

The owner of the Patanjali Group announced launch of the new product “Atta noodles” in Uttarakhand on Thursday.

Patanjali Ayurved Ltd and Patanjali Food and Herbal Park has the FSSAI license to manufacture a range of products that does not include noodles.

The venture plans to set up six manufacturing plants for “Patanjali Atta Noodles” to add to the existing unit based in Haridwar as looks to cater to more states.

Forwarding a few documents to IANS purportedly from the food safety authority Tijarawala alluded that by virtue of Licence Number 10014012000266, renewed on October 15 this year and valid till February 21, 2019, a “modified licence” was also issued.

“For instant noodles, the companies need to take prior approval”. But approvals for (non-standardised) products are given by us. The newspaper also reported that when Bahuguna was asked about the license number that was displayed on the packets he said that there is no way a license can be given to a product that has not been approved, and he is unaware how the license was procured. They can not bring it in market without approval. They are – fruit juices/ready to serve fruit beverages, ghee, mustard/coconut oil, salt, asafoetida, biscuit, sattu, oats, cornflakes, poha, soan papdi, jaggery powder, namkeen and papad, gur, whole wheat atta, pulses, candies and pasta products (macaroni, spaghetti, vermicelli). “We will also enter into textiles category under “Vastram” brand”. The SC in August had essentially upheld a Bombay high court judgment that had quashed the product advisory issued by the FSSAI to enforce food safety norms.

All nine variants of Maggi were taken off the shelves following an FSSAI order in the first week on June after a flurry of reports from various states that the popular brand had lead in excess of permissible limits.