Nestle says it will destroy more
than $50m (£32m) worth of its hugely popular Maggi noodles, following a
ban imposed by India's food safety regulator.
India's food safety
regulator says tests have found the instant noodles "unsafe and
hazardous" and has accused
Nestle of failing to comply with food safety laws. The company insists that the noodles are safe and is challenging the ban.
Nestle has 80% of India's instant noodles market.
The company said in a statement that the value of withdrawn noodles include stocks taken off the shelves and stocks stored in factories and with distributors.
"There will be additional costs to take into account, for example bringing stock from the market, transporting the stock to the destruction points, destruction cost etc. The final figure will have to be confirmed at a later date," Nestle said.
Earlier this month, Nestle began withdrawing the Maggi brand from stores, after regulators said they found higher-than-allowed levels of lead in some packets.
