DHAKA: Days after Nestle's popular noodles Maggi being pulled out of the market, concerned authorities have found an innovative way to use it.

Maggi noodles is now being used as an alternative fuel in India's cement plants.

Tonnes of Maggi packets are being incinerated at the ACC cement factory at Wadi in Karnataka's Kalaburgi district, News Minute reported. It also carried a video of the same.

According to News Minute, the Kalaburgi area's factory's chief safety officer RS Biradar said, "Maggi is crushed to 40mm pieces and it is mixed with other waste material such as rice chaff and then fed into the boiler to be used as fuel."

On the other hand, officials of ACC cement factory said that the packets of instant food rejected by consumers or those which have exceeded their shelf life were being incinerated at their factory for the past five years. “Similarly, the packets of the banned Maggi noodle will also be used as fuel in the factory,” the officials said.

They said that the factory follows all the precautions to ensure that the incineration does not harm the environment and hence the local people need not fear about it.

However, sources at the Nestle India unit in Nanjangud, Mysuru district, said that the stock of the noodles would be transported to a cement plan in Tumakuru district for incineration.

The company has decided to destroy the product valued at Rs 320 crore, following a ban by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.

Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had ordered Nestle to withdraw all stocks of Maggi noodles from stores across the country on June 5 after lab tests found unacceptable amount lead and monosodium glutamate in the snack.

According to a report, the recalled Maggi packets are being reused as fuel at least five places.

Source: Times of India, Deccan Herald
BDST: 1820 HRS, JUN 19, 2015
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