Nestle India, in accordance with the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recommendations to encourage healthy and fortified food, has decided to cut down salt content in its leading products, including Maggi noodles.
FSSAI had banned Maggi in 2015, saying that the instant noodles was unsafe and hazardous for human consumption after finding lead in excessive levels and presence of taste enhancer monosodium glutamate. Later Bombay high court lifted a government ban on Nestle's popular Maggi noodles.
While launching iron-rich Maggi noodles--one of its most successful brands-- Nestle India said that it will also reduce the quantity of salt in other products such as soups and seasonings.
Iron-fortified Maggi is aimed at anaemic people, Nestle said in a statement. The National Family Health Surveyreported that 53 per cent females and 22.7 per male between 15 and 45 years age group suffer from iron deficiency with an almost equal split across rural and urban India, Nestle said.
The company believes that with 2.5 billion portions of Maggi Masala noodles consumed annually in India, it will have a major impact.
Under "Simply Good", Nestle is supporting home cooked food with healthier and tastier choices, by simplifying ingredients, reducing sodium and increasing micro nutrient fortification by 2020.
Nestle's 'healthy' initiative comes just few months after the FSSAI had set up a scientific panel to frame regulations on food fortification and prepare strategies to address the problem of malnutrition. Fortification means deliberately adding or increasing the content of essential micro nutrients in food items to improve quality.
With PTI Inputs
