Ban on Maggi? Too little, too late

I believe there are two kinds of people - those who like a clear chicken broth, stir-fried vegetables, and steamed fish, and those who like thick sweet corn soup, crispy chilli potatoes, and, well, Maggi. My intention is not to generalise or throw Oriental food into a blanket category, but to think about the number of people who find comfort in food that uses copious amounts of Monosodium glutamate (MSG).

Maggi has been an easy snack to prepare for mothers trying to pacify a crabby child, a go-to dinner for tired students who live on their own, and bright, steaming consolation to slurp out of a bowl on a grey day. The credit for the inception of the brand belongs to Switzerland, but Maggi noodles have been eaten in India since 1982 - seven years before I was even born. Besides its quick preparation time (which is more than two minutes, by the way), Maggi permeated into Indian minds as an object of emotional attachment. The fact that it is unhealthy and of negligible nutritional value seemed to bother no one. Until now.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has received a plea to carry out a quality check, and, if necessary, take it off the market. I wonder if they think Indians will react to this any differently than they did to the beef ban. Ours is an emotional country, and people like to hold on to what they've been used to. The noodles have come to represent a sort of cross between junk food and filling meals. A ban would be like snatching candy from a child.

Even if the brand does face a ban, monitoring the amount of MSG that goes into food in general is going to be a mammoth task. It's going to entail walking into every Indianised-Chinese restaurant and have chilli chicken and thick soups taken off the menu. Supermarket shelves will have to be scanned for frozen meals and processed meat. Owners of vans and momo stands will need to think of other ways to earn their livelihood. And heaven help those who will have to face the wrath of Delhi University students for taking Uncle Tom away from North Campus. In the long run, Maggi disappearing is less likely to have a positive impact and more an apocalyptic outcome, at least in India.

If health was a serious issue for the country, all our street food would be sold under the supervision of the FSSAI. There would be no flies in mithai shops and gol guppas would probably be handed out with chopsticks. In all sincerity, "the Maggi ban" just seems like another impulsive roar that will die down soon. Irrespective of the brand's denial of the alleged MSG and lead content, if these crackly yellow packets are to be bidden goodbye to, I'd be left wanting a justification for all the ill health that anyone who has ever eaten its products is cursed with.