NAN PRO-3 formula 'cleared' following insect larvae complaint: Nestlé India
In a statement, Nestlé India said NAN PRO-3 follow-on formula tested by authorities in Coimbatore, India had been "cleared" by authorities.
Officials from the Food Safety and Drug Administration in Coimbatore collected and tested samples of NAN PRO-3 follow-on formula from a related batch after an Indian consumer claimed he found insect larvae in a 400g pack.
The New Indian Express reported that the Tamil Nadu Food Safety and Drug Administration found 28 live larvae and 22 rice weevils in the pack.
Packs of NAN PRO-3 follow-on formula from the same batch were also tested and declared safe, said Nestlé India.
"The authorities picked up further samples from the market of the same product batch for testing as part of their investigation," it said.
"On 17 June, the designated officer for the Food Safety and Drug Administration in Coimbatore was quoted on the NDTV website as saying 'the test results were positive for the company as they were not contaminated'."
"He went on to say that the product would have been infested only when moisture entered the packet," said Nestlé India.
It reiterated that the technology employed to manufacture NAN PRO-3 "excludes the possibility" of insects surviving in sealed packs.
Nestlé India initially denied being contacted by the consumer, a man called Prem Ananth, but later confirmed it received a complaint in April from his wife.
It said a Nestlé representative visited the complainant and offered to test and replace the NAN PRO-3 follow-on formula in question.
They declined, however, to provide the product for analysis, Nestlé India said.
