At the end of last month, the district administration had slapped a fine on Nestle India and its distributors after Maggi noodles failed to pass a lab test that found ash content above permissible limits for human consumption.
Suresh acknowledged that Nestle has received the order of the district administration of Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh, but insisted the product met all the current rules.
“Nestle wishes to categorically state that we do not add ash in any form whatsoever during the manufacturing process of its Maggi noodles. We are fully compliant with the latest FSSAI guidelines which were issued in August-September this year," he told reporters, including the Press Trust of India, at a Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) event.
He declined to comment further, adding that it was a judicial matter that would be addressed through the proper channels.
A Nestle India spokesperson said the firm had been informed that the samples at the centre of the current storm were taken in 2015, and that it would file an urgent appeal once they receive the order.
Nestle India was still in the process of recovering from the Maggi scandal of mid-2015, in which lead content was found in its noodles. The noodles were pulled from shelves in the country but returned after a five-month ban.
In January, Suresh said that Maggi had claimed 60% of market share. It commanded about 75% of market share before the scandal.
Since the 2015 incident, the FSSAI has laid out standards for instant noodles, pasta and seasoning, and Nestle says Maggi noodles are fully compliant. It has posted the scientific findings on its website.
The FSSAI has also recently released a set of product recall guidelines with step-by-step procedures, putting the onus on food firms in the event of a food safety issue.