Even as Nestle is dealing with a crisis related to high lead content in its popular Maggi noodles, the Tamil Nadu Food Safety Wing has declared a sample of Nestle milk powder unsafe after live larvae were found in it.
A Tamil Nadu resident found live larvae in the milk powder that he had served to his 18-month old baby, who later developed skin allergy, The New Indian Express reported.
After he approached the Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration Department (Food Safety Wing) in Coimbatore with the milk powder sample, it found that the Nestle sample 'did not conform to standards specified under Regulation 2.1.9(5) of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations as it contains live insects".
Analysts found 28 live larvae and 22 Sitophilus oryzae (rice weevils) in the 380g sample, according to the report.
However, the food safety officer has said that the finding does not mean that all Nestle products are unsafe.
Meanwhile, Nestle is already facing the heat from food safety inspectors in Uttar Pradesh who filed a criminal complaint against the company's local unit after they found high levels of lead in some packets of Maggi instant noodles, 17 times above the permissible limit. They also found unhealthy amounts of monosodium glutamate (MSG).
The Uttar Pradesh FDA officials asked Nestle to recall two lakh packs of Maggi noodles.
The government has also said that celebrities such as Madhuri Dixit, Amitabh Bachchan and Preity Zinta who endorsed the product are liable for action.
