The Maggi imbroglio escalated to an unprecedented level on Friday , with India's food regulator ordering a total recall of all nine variants of the best-selling instant noodles brand. This is the first ever recall of a popular food product in India. TOI was the only newspaper to report, in some copies of Friday's edition, that Nestle had decided to withdraw Maggi from Indian shelves. On Friday , the Food Standards and Safety Authority of India which is entrusted with ensuring that all food in India is safe, issued an eight-page statement pointing out three “major“ violations by Nestle, and kept options open for prosecution on these counts under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. The violations are -presence of lead in the product in excess of the maximum permissible levels of 2.5 parts per million, misleading consumers by printing “no added MSG“ on Maggi packets and release of Oats Masala Noodles without risk assessment and product approval. Maggi producer Nestle India, which controls over 60% of the instant noodles market in the country , late on Thursday announced a Maggi withdrawal from the shelves “despite it being safe“ and only because of “unfounded concerns“ and “an environment of confusion for the consumer“. A high level Nestle delegation, led by its global CEO, met FSSAI officials at their Delhi headquarters on Thursday and disputed the claims about lead being found in the product, the MSG content and the Maggi oats noodles issue. The FSSAI rebutted each of these arguments in detail. According to Nestle, Maggi noodles packs contain a tastemaker sachet and the noodles cake. Both parts put together should be tested for lead levels, not separately . FSSAI has rejected this and said they will test the product as it is sold -in two parts -not as it is processed by the consumer. Experts believe this is a grey zone with no clear law. A higher lead content of the tastemaker will get diluted and fall below the permitted level when mixed with the noodles cake. But the FSSAI argued that consumers are going to add water while making Maggi so should they start taking the water also into consideration? For the full report, log on to http:www.timesofindia.com Maggi failed safety standards: Nadda Initiating the first major ban on any packaged food product, Union health minister J P Nadda on Friday said Maggi was being asked to withdraw from the market because consumer safety was important and no compromise will be made on what is a public health issue. Nadda said the decision to withdraw and recall Maggi from markets has been taken after confirming that the product had failed to adhere to safety standards.“We have come to the conclusion that the food safety and standards have not been adhered to by Nestle and Maggi products, and that is why we have given instructions that all nine products should be recalled from the market,“ Nadda said. Sushmi Dey For the full report, log on to http:www.timesofindia.com