Bombay HC concludes hearing in Maggi noodles case, verdict later

The Bombay High Court on Friday concluded hearing a case filed by Nestle India challenging a local regulator's report that its popular brand Maggi instant noodles contained excess of lead.

The court will pronounce a judgement at a later date, Rajesh Batra advocate for the firm said in a statement.

Nestle has been at the centre of India's worst food scare in a decade after the office of the Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) in Uttar Pradesh found excess lead in a sample of Maggi noodles.

The company withdrew the brand from Indian stores last month, but challenged the findings of the FSSAI in the Bombay High Court.

Meanwhile, television reports had on Friday reported that the court had asked FSSAI and Nestle India to subject Maggi noodles to fresh laboratory tests.

Even as the company battles to bring back its popular Maggi noodles that were pulled from shelves over safety concerns, Nestle India Ltd said it would, in the meantime, focus on growing its dairy, coffee and confectionary businesses.

The unit of Swiss food giant Nestle is at the centre of India's worst food scare in a decade after a regulator found its Maggi noodles contained dangerous levels of lead. Nestle India has maintained that Maggi is safe, and is challenging the regulator in court.

Suresh Narayanan, who will take over as the managing director of Nestle India next month, said his priority would be to expand other business segments to reduce the company's reliance on Maggi.

"It's a fact that Maggi is a big part, I am not diluting that fact," Narayanan told said.

"But what for me is going to be key is to grow other categories as well: dairy, coffee, confectionery."

Narayanan said he was hopeful that Maggi would come back but he would not "hazard a guess" on the timing.