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More trouble for Nestle: Larvae found in milk powder in TN
June 02, 2015
Nestle India's woes continued to escalate as dozens of live larvae were found in the company's baby milk powder in Tamil Nadu after its popular Maggi noodles were subjected to tests at several places in the country for reportedly containing very high levels of lead and monosodium glutamate.
The larvae were found by K Prem Ananth, a taxi driver from Coimbatore, when he bought the Nestle NAN PRO 3 milk powder for his twin babies. A report of the Food Analysis Laboratory in Coimbatore confirmed that the sample contained 28 live larvae and 22 rice weevils.
Maggi
noodle sales have been hit hard ever since it was revealed that a sample
tested for quality by a government agency about two weeks back
contained monosodium glutamate and lead beyond permissible levels.
The brand from Swiss foods major Nestle, which is synonymous with
noodles in India, has therefore also witnessed a severe dent in its
popularity and image.
Modern retailers say the impact could be
in the range of 15-20% in large metros, but what makes matters worse for
Nestle is that the general trade appears to be against stocking the
brand given the decline in sales from regular consumers.
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