Bengaluru, Oct 19 (PTI): The Congress government in Karnataka today decided allow manufacture and sale of Maggi noodles in the state as it decided to withhold the Centre's directive banning it, saying it lacked clarity.

The state government would withhold the implementation of central order on not allowing the production and sale of Maggi because of lack of clarity on the permissible limits of Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and lead, Karnataka Health Minister U T Khader told reporters here.

Khader said it was left to the company to decide on the start of production of noodles and other products.

"It is left to the company to decide on production of noodles and other products. We are clear in our stand that we will not be honouring the central order," he added.

However, the Minister said the government would be very happy to implement the central order if it frames clear guidelines on the permissibility of the level of MSG and lead contents in noodles.

"We will be happy to implement the central order, there are no issues on this matter. But, it has to come out with clear guidelines," Khader said.

Even if the company produces or manufactures noodles and other products, they should undergo laboratory test before hitting the market, he said.

On June 2 this year, the government had ordered random lifting of samples of Maggi noodles from across the state for laboratory testing after allegations of lapses in food safety standards came to the fore.

Khader said the government collected the samples and sent them to national-level laboratory units situated in Mysuru and another private laboratory in Bengaluru which found the lead and MSG contents in permissible levels.

However, the Central food safety regulator FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) rejected the test results and directed the government to send it to national laboratory at Kolkata, Khader said, adding accordingly the samples were sent to the lab.
"Inspite of the lapse of four months, there has been no response from the central authority, and therefore, no clarity on permissibility of level of MSG and lead content persists," he said.

Maggi noodles came under the scanner in May after Uttar Pradesh Food Safety and Drug Administration asked Nestle India to withdraw a batch of the noodles "which were manufactured in February 2014" after it found presence of non-essential taste enhancer monosodium glutamate and high levels of lead in the samples.