Maggi noodles go back on sale in India after lead recall

Maggi's return comes as Indians prepare to celebrate Diwali, when food shopping is at its peak

An Indian shopkeeper removes packets of Nestle 'Maggi' instant noodles from the shelves in his shop in Siliguri on June 5, 2015 (DIPTENDU DUTTA/AFP/Getty Images)

Indians have reacted with joy after Nestle's Maggi noodles were back on shelves in time for the Diwali festival and five months after being banned due to an alleged presence of excessive lead content.

“Following tests by government accredited labs in India showing Maggi noodles are safe to eat, Nestle India has announced that it has started selling the product again,” the company said in a statement.

Nestle controlled 63 per cent of the Indian noodle market before the product had to be pulled from the shelves in June, according to Euromonitor. While no data is available on how much of its market share it has lost, social media reactions suggested Indians would continue to buy the product despite the lead scare.

"Maggi noodles to return to shelves around the country today, millions of breakfasts, lunches, dinners & snacks to normalize finally!" one Twitter user said.

While another posted :

Customers have been waiting for the noodles to return since a Bombay High court verdict said the ban was “untenable” and ordered fresh tests in August.

Nestle has said it will burn $50 million worth of Maggi noodles in concrete incinerators after local regulators reported in May that some packets contained unsafe levels of lead.

The company's has thanked its customers on its Twitter page for their support and has reciprocated to Maggi lovers' reaction to the ban with the hashtag #WeMissYouToo.

"Your favourite Maggi Noodles are now back. Delighted to hand over Maggi Noodles to consumers to whom it belongs," Nestle India tweeted.

Last month Nestle said the laboratory tests had found that Maggi noodles were safe to eat. The company later announced it had restarted production at three plants in India and last week said those had also passed laboratory tests.

Maggi's return comes as Indians prepare to celebrate Diwali, a time when retail food shopping is at its peak in India.

The company's noodles are very popular in India, and have been on sale in corners shops across the country since 1983