The story is set in an alternate recreation of the
ancient Old World with several regions and nations having some resemblances
with real-life counterparts from that time. In this world, all living beings
possess an essence known as Rukh and when they die, this essence returns to the
huge flow (also known as "guidance") of Rukh that gives life to all
subsequent beings in an eternal cycle of rebirth called "Fate". ……
Noodles now do not require
any introduction to Indians …. Noodle is a Chinese staple food made from
unleavened dough which is stretched, extruded, or rolled flat and cut into one
of a variety of shapes. While long, thin strips may be the most common, many
varieties of noodles are cut into waves, helices, tubes, strings, or shells, or
folded over, or cut into other shapes. Noodles are usually cooked in boiling
water, sometimes with cooking oil or salt added. The word derives from the
German word Nudel. Maggi now in the midst of a storm is also not new – they came
in 1983 when Kapil’s Devils lifted the Prudential World Cup – with great advt
campaign of a food that could be cooked in 2 minutes impacted the lives of
Indians and the concept of a caring mother – the ‘maggi mom’ lifted the sales;
that she was also able to juggle her workplace and domestic responsibilities
because of the snack added more spice !!!...
Initially it was considered
junk food and in some schools it was banned during lunch – parents were sent
note not to pack the lunchboxes with Maggi – not for too long – as the
increasing sales revealed. It certainly was
very popular until the recent findings and ban based on tests that deemed Maggi
containing unsafe and hazardous amounts of lead. On Friday, a Mumbai Court denied Nestle's request for a stay of the
nationwide ban on Maggi noodles in India.
Nestle maintains its
noodles are safe but last week began withdrawing them from Indian shops. On
Friday the court ruled that as the noodles are being withdrawn anyway "the
question of granting stay... at this stage does not arise". The judges
ordered the food authorities to file their responses to Nestle's petition that
the ban be completely revoked in time for a further court hearing on 30 June. Nestle
has argued that the tests that found lead are flawed and inaccurate. It says it
has carried out its own tests on over 1,000 batches of Maggi noodles, plus
commissioned tests at external labs on a further 600 batches. "All results
indicate that Maggi noodles are safe and well within the regulatory limits
established in India," the company said.
Internet is
ripe with memes of ‘idiyappam justly winning the running battle’ and Maggi beat
by Top Raman and the like ….. but if at all you ever carried an impression that
Maggi was the only noodle brand harmful to health, one need to revisit their thoughts. The latest lab report shows that several other
popular brands are equally unsafe for consumption. The
new test report by Delhi government’s food department has revealed that of the
12 samples of other brands of noodles, eight have failed the quality test. The
samples collected were from brands like Top Ramen, Tops, Ching’s and Foodles. Daily Mail quoting the Commissioner of Food
safety of Delhi Govt states that the
samples were lifted from various parts
of Delhi and sent for testing last week and has revealed that of the 12 samples of other brands of
noodles, eight have failed the quality test !!!
The samples collected for
the study were from brands like Top Ramen, Tops, Ching’s and Foodles. Monosodium glutamate (MSG), a flavour enhancer
traditionally used in Chinese food, is a kind of amino acid which occurs
naturally in many agricultural products- the laboratory test report shows that
on many products, the manufacturers have not mentioned ingredients like MSG
which have been used in the product. The
Govt authority is quoted as saying that action will be taken against all these food companies. Often, MSG is added artificially to packaged food for
augmenting flavour. The food safety regulations mandate companies to specify it
on the packaging if MSG has been added. Doctors say that the consumption of MSG
may cause problems like burning sensations in mouth, head and neck. It may
cause weakness in arms or legs, headaches and upset stomach approximately 15
minutes after MSG is consumed. Other problems may be flushing headaches and
hives or allergic-type reactions on the skin.
Daily Mail reports
that as per the lab test reports, five of the six Top Ramen noodles samples
have been found wrongly branded. Similarly,
two samples of Ching’s have also been found wrongly branded. On the other hand,
the presence of lead in one sample of Foodles noodles was found above the
permissible limit, and it was therefore found unsafe for human consumption. The
Delhi government had on June 2 banned the sale of Maggi in the national Capital
for 15 days; a move taken after 75 per cent of the samples lifted for lab
testing failed the quality test. Nestlé
has been battling its worst branding crisis in India since a regulator in Uttar
Pradesh found monosodium glutamate (MSG) and excess lead in a sample of its
hugely popular noodles.
Not only the
noodles, many other popular packaged snacks — including various brands of chips
and Kurkure — are also under the scanner of the authorities. It is not the products that have fallen – more
so the trust of people, that when we buy premium items manufactured by big MNC’s,
they would be far better and healthier as compared to low cost foods sold on
road side !
On a different note, the first para is about ‘ Magi ‘ –
the Labyrinth of Magic, a Japanese series written and illustrated by Shinobu
Ohtaka. It has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Sunday since June 2009.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
14th June 2015.
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