KATHMANDU, June 5: The government on Wednesday banned the import and sale of Nestle's Maggi noodles in Nepal until further notice, following a ban on the noodle brand in different Indian states. Maggi noodles, which has a majority market share in India, was banned in different Indian states including Delhi after a high level of lead along with excessive amounts of taste enhancer like monosodium glutamate (MSG) were detected in the noodle. The noodle brand is also available in Nepal, mostly in department stores and shopping malls. "Sales and import of Maggi noodles has been banned until further notice, effective from Friday," Uttam Kumar Bhattarai, secretary at MoAD, told Republica, adding, "Though we have been testing samples of Maggi noodles in the government laboratory, waiting for the test report before taking any action would not be in the interest of consumers because the batch of Maggi noodles currently available has already been declared inedible in India." Bhattarai informed that the noodle brand can be banned permanently if the test report shows that the noodles are unfit for human consumption. The government on Monday began laboratory tests for Maggi noodles after the brand was banned in India. Officials say that the test report will be out within a few days. Meanwhile, the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DoFTQC) has urged the public not to consume Maggi noodles until further notice. Sanjeeb Kumar Karna, director general of DoFTQC, said, "Necessary action will be taken against Maggi and its distributors and importers if the product is found to be at fault." The government, however, has not been able to identify the importers and distributors of Maggi n Nepal. Officials of the Department of Commerce and Supply Management (DoCSM) say that they would seek clarifications from the importers after identifying them. "We are yet to receive official notice from the ministry and DoFTQC on Maggi's ban," said Hari Narayan Belbase, director of DoCSM. According to him, DoCSM will monitor the supply of Maggi in the market and alert its officials at the customs as soon as it gets the official letter. "We will direct the recall of Maggi noodles from the market immediately after identifying the importer," added Belbase. The noodle brand came under scrutiny last month after the Utter Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration asked Nestle India to withdraw a batch of Maggi noodles produced in February last year as the brand was found using excessive amounts of taste enhancers like monosodium glutamate (MSG) and there was also an excessive amount of lead. Maggi reportedly contained 17 ppm of lead which is almost seven times the permissible limit. Other noodle brands to undergo quality check Following the Maggi case, the Department of Food Technology and Quality Control (DoFTQC) has said that it would check the quality of other noodle brands available in Nepal. "We will begin laboratory tests of both domestic and foreign noodle brands," Director General Karna said, adding, "All other brands will be subjectd to action in case of any problem with quality." - See more at: http://www.myrepublica.com/economy/item/22136-nestle-s-maggi-noodles-banned.html#sthash.IO9rC36y.dpuf