Nestle moves court against food watchdog's ban order

New Delhi: The Indian arm of Swiss foods giant Nestle on Thursday moved the Bombay High Court, seeking a judicial review of the food safety regulator's order that had called for the withdrawal of top-selling Maggi instant noodles over health issues.

The company, in a filing with stock exchanges, said it was also seeking a similar review of a June 6 order passed by the Food and Drug Administration of Maharashtra.

"At the same time, we are continuing the withdrawal of Maggi products. This action (moving the court) will not interfere with this (withdrawal) process. We shall proceed further as per the orders that may be passed by the Hon'ble Bombay High Court," Nestle India further added.

In technical terms, Nestle moved the court over issues pertaining to the interpretation of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2011.

Nestle had been ordered to withdraw Maggi by the food safety regulator after some samples were allegedly found to contain higher-than-permissible levels of lead -- a premise that was rejected by the company, saying its own independent tests suggested otherwise.

Several states had also issued their own ban orders, even as the regulator widened its testing process to other brands of instant noodles and pasta with tastemaker.