Nestle chief wants Maggi noodles back in India fast

Nestle chief Paul Bulcke said Wednesday he wanted to see its hugely popular Maggi brand of instant noodles back on the Indian market as soon as possible after it was banned over a health scare.

India's food safety regulator on June 5 banned the product after tests that it said showed the noodles contained excessive levels of lead.

"The only thing that interests me is to have the product back as soon as possible and that things are cleared up," he told AFP in an interview while visiting the Milan expo.

"We are doing all we can to make contact with Indian authorities at the earliest," he said, adding: "The product is safe."