New Delhi, Nov 18: Central food safety regulator FSSAI said on Wednesday that yoga guru Baba Ramdev-promoted FMCG venture Patanjali did not have approval for its newly-launched instant noodles, which the company has vehemently denied.
Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) Chairperson Ashish Bahuguna said no approval or licence has been granted to Patanjali for its instant noodles.
“For instant noodles, the companies need to take prior approval. They (Patanjali Ayurved) have not taken approval for it,” he said.
“Patanjali Ayurved has approvals for other products but they don’t have approval for instant noodles. As of now only 10 companies have approval for instant noodles,” Bahaguna added.
Patanjali, however, strongly denied FSSAI’s claims and said, “We have licence for Pasta in central category from FSSAI. As per FSSAI, noodles come under the ‘pasta’ category.
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.
Patanjali had launched ‘Atta Noodles’ earlier this week 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 had returned to the shelves five months after FSSAI had banned it.
