Maggi noodles deemed safe in Canada—How other imports can avoid potential health risks

Are you a Maggi’s noodle fan? If so, then good news: last month, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency led a food safety investigation where no health risks associated with the consumption of Maggi brand noodle products in Canada was found—leading to the popular instant noodle to be deemed “safe” throughout the entire country.

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Imported from India, the Singapore food regulator also declared that Maggi noodles are safe for consumption, overturning the band that the product contained a high amount of lead and monosodium glutamate.

And while the noodle company will continue to be monitored by the food inspection agency to advice the public of any upcoming issues, Business Review Canada thinks it’s important to educate other imports on how to potentially avoid various health risks.

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First and foremost, it’s vital for both suppliers and importers to have a CFIA Registration Number—that’s an FDA Registration Number for food companies that are in the United States. This number is needed if foods or beverages are manufactured, packaged, processed or held for consumption.

Furthermore, the following list can help ensure that health risks are avoided when it comes to importing food and beverage products in and out of different countries. After all, it’s important to keep consumers safe and healthy, right? These tips can help!

• The product name and description should always appear on the front of the package
• The Net Weight statement of the product should always be visible on the package
• If the product doesn’t have nutrition information on the package, then a Small Business Exemption needs to be filed
• The nutrition information of the product must always follow the rounding rules

And finally, and perhaps most importantly, it’s vital that the ingredients are permitted into the country in which the product is being shipped to. Most problems occur in the ingredients portion of the label. Specifically, translations are not always accurate.

Safety is a major issue in the food inspection industry — so always do your homework! When it comes to the importing and shipping of food and beverage products, if you do it the right way the first time, then you can save time and money. Not to mention, you don’t want any of your actions to hurt your reputations.

For the latest news in the food industry, make sure to visit our sister brand Food Drink & Franchise.     

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[SOURCE: The Hindu and Food Safety News]

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