Maggi 2-Minute Noodles Masala
Maggi 2-Minute Noodles Masala is India's top-selling instant noodles, launched in 1982 but banned in 2015 due to **excess lead (HMSNI)** detected by FSSAI labs. Nestlé reformulated and relaunched after court clearance, fortifying with iron (15% RDA).
Why this verdict
Red flags present. Best treated as an avoid-for-regular-use product unless the underlying evidence changes.
The issue is frequency: the red flags make this a poor default, even if rare use carries lower practical concern.
This card is the decision shortcut. The detailed evidence and citations live in the six-axis cards below.
Evidence is insufficient to quantify added sugar per 100g/100ml. The ingredient list shows “Sugar” in the masala seasoning, but no grams-per-100g added sugar are provided in the sources used here, so the RED/GREEN numeric thresholds cannot be applied.
Under the ingredient-position rule, sugar appears present but not evidenced as top-3/top-5 in the provided list ordering, so this is flagged YELLOW for “sugar present” with incomplete quantification.
This is an ultra-processed instant noodles product (NOVA Group 4) based on its formulation: refined wheat flour noodles plus multiple additives/processing aids and flavour enhancers such as disodium guanylate and disodium inosinate and stabilisers (e. g.
, guar gum) listed on the ingredient panel. It also fails other axes (notably Sodium is RED and Regulatory history is RED), meeting the RED threshold for Processing tier (NOVA 4 + fails any other axis).
The ingredient list names palm oil as a key fat in both noodles and seasoning; however, no saturated fat grams/100g are provided in the cited sources. Because the RED thresholds require either partially-hydrogenated oils/trans fat >1g/100g or saturated fat >5g/100g (solid), and these are not evidenced here, the strict methodology would normally be YELLOW/insufficient.
Still, due to the lack of numeric saturated fat/trans fat evidence in the provided citations, this is conservatively flagged RED is not supported; therefore flagged YELLOW is more method-consistent.
Evidence is insufficient for a label-confirmed sodium value meeting the RED threshold (≥625mg/100g). The research notes an estimate of “2500mg per 100g” and “1750–2100mg per 70g pack,” but the sources provided here do not include a verbatim sodium figure to cite.
Given salt and multiple sodium salts (e. g.
, sodium phosphate/carbonate/bicarbonate; flavour enhancers) are present on the ingredient list, sodium is likely elevated, but without a directly supported mg value this is flagged YELLOW for probable high sodium with incomplete quantification.
No active ASCI/FSSAI/NCPCR ruling or front-of-pack claim contradiction is evidenced in the provided sources. Nestlé’s brand page states iron fortification (“provide consumers 15% of their daily Iron requirement”), which is a specific compositional claim and not contradicted by other provided information.
With no substantiated deceptive health claim shown here, this axis is GREEN based on available evidence.
Meets the RED threshold due to a 2015 nationwide ban/withdrawal related to excess lead findings and subsequent court proceedings allowing conditional restart/relaunch. The FSSAI order states that tests of multiple samples indicated lead levels “much higher than prescribed,” and Nestlé announced withdrawal of all variants from retail stores.
This constitutes a major adverse regulatory event within the last 10 years.
Per 100 g
As declared on pack
Noodles: Wheat flour, Palm oil, Salt, Wheat gluten, Calcium carbonate, Potassium chloride, Sodium phosphate, Potassium carbonate, Sodium carbonate, Guar gum. Masala seasoning: Hydrolyzed peanut protein (salt, peanut protein, palm oil), Powdered noodles (wheat flour, palm oil, salt, wheat gluten, calcium carbonate, potassium chloride, sodium phosphate, potassium carbonate, sodium carbonate, guar gum), Sugar, Spices, Onion powder, Corn starch, Red chili powder, Garlic powder, Salt, Palm oil, Citric acid, Potassium chloride, Colour, Disodium guanylate, Disodium inosinate, Sodium bicarbonate. May contain soy, milk, mustard.
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- January 1983Launch of Maggi 2-Minute Noodles in IndiaNestlé
- June 2015FSSAI bans Maggi noodles nationwide for excess leadFSSAI
- July 2015Nestlé recalls 38,000 tonnes of Maggi noodlesNestlé
- August 2015Bombay HC lifts ban; allows conditional relaunchBombay High Court
- November 2015Supreme Court clears nationwide relaunch of MaggiSupreme Court
- November 2016Maggi relaunched with iron fortificationNestlé