Ask anyone which snackfood has conquered the world and they are likely to say pizza or burgers. But what about instant noodles? They are almost universally consumed, albeit with differing levels of appreciation. In the West, they are thought to be cheap and unhealthy, the sort of thing that students and sad bachelors live on.
In South Korea, they are a high-end food; Japan regards them as one of its most important inventions; in the UAE they are to be found in most shopping carts and Indians see them as a healthy alternative to fried snacks.
The Indian predilection for instant noodles is really all because of Maggi, the brand introduced there 30 years ago by Nestle, the giant food and beverage company. It was marketed so well that Maggi is practically a generic term for instant noodles in India.
Which brings us to the news that Maggi has been pulled from the shelves in some Indian states on account of claims that the noodles contain high levels of lead. Talk about noodles being in the soup.
