Maggi ban sent disturbing message to investors: Swiss envoy

New Delhi The ban on Maggi noodles sent out a disturbing message to Switzerlands enterprises raising questions about the implementation of Indias regulatory framework Swiss Ambassador Linus von Castelmur said on TuesdayMaggi a popular noodles brand which has been in India for many decades is manufactured by Swiss multinational Nestle through its Indian subsidiary It was back on the shelves from November 9 with the Bombay High Court lifting the ban imposed by food safety regulators It was banned for allegedly containing lead beyond the permissible limitWhen asked about Maggi ban Castelmur said That was a kind of disturbing message for Swiss enterprises who are long invested in India and who plan to invest in India They could look at other countries for investments he saidI think the ban was not justified clearly It could not be substantiated very clearly That is something that is disturbing potential investors or investors who want to do something Castelmur told PTI It was a disturbing message in the sense that the regulatory framework is not clear enough and is not always applied in a convincing manner he saidSwiss enterprises reliable enterprises producing all over the world and who want to invest in India are raising questions about the regulatory framework and the consistency and implementation and control by one of these authorities he notedHe added however that the Indian market cannot be ignored considering its size and talent pool but issues such as the ban could make things difficultimage is something important you know You might want to shift production from country A to country B You have many choices also you have huge competition between different countries So I mean it might result that prospective investors who wanted to invest in India may shift to other countries he saidOn whether the government needs to go the extra step to address the issue Castelmur said the matter is about implementation and consistencyI think it is implementation and consistency There are many laws and the framework could be good but implementation of the framework should be worked on We hope that the authorities understand that there has to be some work done he saidWhile lifting the ban the Bombay High Court in August had ordered that Nestle India can start manufacturing Maggi only after the noodles pass the tests by three governmentaccredited laboratoriesAfter clearing the tests the noodles was reintroduced in the Indian market from November 9 onwardsIn June Food Safety and Standards Authority of India FSSAI had banned Maggi saying that was unsafe and hazardous for consumption due to presence of lead beyond permissible limits The company withdrew the noodles brand from the marketWhile Nestle India had challenged the orders by FSSAI and Maharashtra FDA in Bombay High Court the government had also filed a class action suit against it seeking about Rs 640 crore in damages for alleged unfair trade practices false labelling and misleading advertisementsMeanwhile FSSAI has moved the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court order in the Maggi noodles case seeking expunging of certain adverse remarks made against itThe regulator has approached the apex court saying the High Courts August 13 order as erroneous and questioned the sanctity of the samples provided for retest to governmentapproved labs