KULDEEP SINGH
JAMMU: It is a matter of contention that whether the ban imposed on Maggi Noodles brand by several state governments including J and K, due to presence of large quantity of harmful chemicals added just to enhance the response of consumers’ taste buds will long last. Going by the test reports issued by several standard testing laboratories in the country, it has been established that this product contains enormously large quantities of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and lead (Pb) which are dangerous for health. One of such laboratory has claimed that Maggi contains 17 parts per million lead, while the permissible limit is only 0.01 parts per million. The experts have warned that these chemicals are harmful if used often and children are more prone to ill effects connected with these chemicals. They have suggested that these could cause weight gain, brain cell damage and liver inflammation, and other serious ailments.
It is agonising that the product enjoying lion’s share in the Indian market since its launch in late ’80s and is a favourite snack of millions of Indians, was never checked by the successive monitoring agencies of government which never failed to boast their credibility and vigilance.
Irrespective of the ills connected with the 2-minute snack, the point which still tickles the mind is whether the government is really sincere in the matter to apply constraint on this product.
Looking into the earlier controversies of similar nature linked to the consumer products and ban on their sale, it has been witnessed that such prohibitions never lasted long and often succumb to mounting pressure of business giants’ lobbies prevalent in Indian Sub-continent.
In early ’80s, a similar issue that came to light was the presence of fluoride in toothpastes and its harmful effects on human body. Government after confirming the ill effects had immediately banned all such dental pastes possessing fluoride but unfortunately this restrain did not last long. On the contrary, there are many toothpaste companies that are boasting the presence of fluoride in their product claiming it to be good for dental care although many European countries have not lifted the ban on fluoride till date.
In ’90s another controversy hit the market that the mustard oil causes Dropsy disease (sort of edema which could be fatal in worst cases). As per experts, it was found that when mustard oil is adulterated deliberately (as in most cases) or accidentally contaminated with Argemone oil, the resultant effect by consuming this combination was a sort of edema popularly known as Dropsy. Consequently, thousands of litres of this household oil was spilled but in no time the industry boomed again with only apparent change that this popular cooking oil became more expensive. Nonetheless, the most startling storm in the series came with reports of alarming proportions of pesticides found in the most popular segment of beverage industry viz carbonated soft drinks. Following tests and confirmation, these drinks vanished from the sight with government once again posing to be strict on the matter. This time our parliamentarians were also not left out and they had to face the heat of this controversy as government banned the serving of these drinks in the MPs’ Canteen in Parliament House. But again thanks to covert forces working in tandem with the government representatives manipulating matters that really matter, these drinks once again flooded the markets putting at stake the health of Indian folks. Besides these, controversies related to worms in chocolates and ice creams, and authenticity of bottled mineral water too faced the same fate. Braving all such controversies, these products still rule at the shelves of vendors mocking the government agencies responsible for monitoring their standard and quality.
As a matter of fact, there is hardly any consumer product in the market which did not face such an entanglement and was banned forever. Relying on previous trends, one can presume that very soon children here will again shout ‘Mummy Bhookh Lagi Hai Maggi Lao’ and mothers will respond with utmost warmth and within no time ‘Bas Beta Do Minute’……
