Weeks after Indian officials find unsafe levels of lead in Maggi noodles, Nestle says it will destroy millions of unsold packets.
In what could be a major blow to the company's reputation across India, a batch of instant noodles worth more than £32 million is being destroyed by Nestle.
Maggi noodles, the brand's fastest-selling product, were ordered off shop shelves a fortnight ago after government tests revealed some packets contained unsafe levels of lead. Although Nestle insists the noodles are safe to eat, a massive operation is under way to collect tainted stock from factories and shops across the country.
Before the contamination scandal took hold, Maggi had an 80% share of the instant noodles market and it had been named as one of India's five most-trusted brands. But at the start of June, safety officials in Delhi discovered the product had 17.2 parts per million of lead.
Also found inside the products were elevated levels of MSG, a flavour enhancer which was not included in the list of ingredients.
When the food scare began, Nestle claimed tests performed on 125 million packets of Maggi noodles proved that they were compliant with food safety standards.
Nestle India is currently challenging the ban imposed by India's food safety regulator.
Source: Sky News