New Delhi - India's government has filed for damages from food group Nestlé after a food scare involving reports of excess lead in Maggi noodles forced a nationwide recall, government officials say.
"It's a serious matter concerning public health and the law allows us to take legal steps, or legal actions, against erring entities," said one official in the consumer affairs department of the food ministry.
The claim, made on behalf of Indian consumers, was not filed through the courts but with the national consumer disputes redressal commission, which has semi-judicial powers and will decide on the merits of the case and the size of any damages.
Excess lead
The officials said Nestlé was being accused of unfair trade practices, adding this was the first case in which the Indian government had sought damages from a multinational.
Nestlé has been under fire in India since one regional regulator said in May that it had found evidence of excess lead and monosodium glutamate (MSG) in some packets of Maggi instant noodles, a cheap and hugely popular snack.
Since then, several state regulators have followed, and Nestlé said on Friday that it would temporarily withdraw all Maggi noodles from the country's shelves, though it reiterated the products were safe.
READ: Nestlé SA pulls Maggi noodles off Indian shelves
Total Maggi sales in India, including sauces and condiments, account for less than 1% of Nestlé's group annual sales, but brand damage could be significant in a country where the noodles are ubiquitous, in homes and roadside eateries.
Nestlé fielded its global chief executive on Friday to help quell one India's most high profile food scares in a decade.
Indian newspapers reported separately on Sunday that the national food safety agency planned to inspect all Nestlé's manufacturing facilities across India as a result of the scare.
Nestlé has eight factories in India, though not all produce Maggi.