India's Version Of Instant Ramen Has A Bunch Of Lead In It

Maggi instant noodles have already been banned from Delhi for 15 days after tests on them found unsafe levels of lead and excess MSG. But some people are still like: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

India has ordered nationwide safety tests on Maggi noodles, a snack that’s hugely popular with college students, after local tests found unhealthy levels of lead and MSG in them.

#Delhi Govt bans the sale of #Maggi noodles for 15 days with immediate effect.

The noodles, made by Nestle’s Indian arm, have been at the center of a growing storm since late May, when the results of laboratory tests in the state of Uttar Pradesh hit the headlines in India.

The tests found nearly seven times the permissible levels of lead and excess levels of the additive monosodium glutamate (MSG), leading India's government to call for countrywide safety tests on Wednesday, Reuters reported. Delhi's authorities have banned the noodles from the capital city for 15 days, the BBC reported.

In India, packets of the much-loved snack — which can easily be compared to pot noodles in the U.K. and the ramen noodles ubiquitous in American college dorms — are on sale even at the tiniest of street stalls, and cost as little as 10 rupees ($0.16), the website Scroll.in has reported. Maggi's well-known advertising campaign promises the product will be ready in just two minutes.

Nestle India says its extensive internal tests show that its products are safe, according to Reuters.

Lots of people in India joked on Twitter that nothing could put them off Maggi – not even, er, lead poisoning.

Lead or no lead, MSG or no MSG, safe or unsafe, I really don't care, I still need my dose of #Maggi . ain't quitting on it now.

Well, we think they were joking.

My stomach. My choice. My #Maggi.

And others lamented its absence in Delhi’s supermarkets.

Maggi don't worry, I also failed many tests in my life . All the best maggi. #Maggi #MaggiInASoup

Thank u for banning my 2-minute comfort #Maggi

And this journalist imagined an underground trade springing up, especially considering that one Indian state banned beef earlier this year.

Psst.. What? Got #beef? You crazy.. I got #Maggi. Meet me in the alley. - Junk Food Diaries

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