Srinagar, June 4 (IANS): The Jammu and Kashmir government on Thursday imposed a ban on the sale of Maggi noodles in the state.

Directing Nestle India to remove all stocks of the noodles from local markets, the government directed district magistrates to ensure a blanket ban on Maggi products.

"There are reports that Maggi noodles contain lead and MSG content in excess. We have directed all district magistrates to impose complete ban on the sale of Maggi products in the state and Nestle India has been directed to withdraw all stocks from the market immediately," Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution Minister (CAPD) Choudhary Zulfikar said at a media conference here.

The minister said the ban will remain in force for a month or till reports of tests on noodles samples - to be conducted by the government - are received, whichever comes earlier.

Five samples of Maggi have been taken from Srinagar for tests and sent to the Central Testing Laboratory in Kolkata.

In Jammu, 1.2 lakh Maggi packets have been seized by government officials.