Baba Ramdev's Patanjali Amla juice found unsafe; Armed forces' stores suspend sale

New Delhi: A batch of Yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved's amla juice has "failed" to clear a laboratory test, due to which the Canteen Stores Department, the retailing entity selling consumer goods to armed forces, has suspended its sale.

Responding to the news, the company said the amla juice is a medicinal product unlike other juices sold in the market and that it is absolutely safe for human consumption.

Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry sources said a show cause notice has been served on the company after the juice "failed" the test carried out at West Bengal Public Health Laboratory, Kolkata.

The sources said as per procedure, CSD has immediately suspended the sale of the particular batch of the item and sent a show-cause notice to the company to examine the deviations and explain about them.

They said "further action" will be taken on receipt of a reply from the firm.

The CSD had sent samples of 'Amla Juice' having index no. 85417 and batch No. GH1502 to the laboratory in Kolkata, they said.

The Patanjali Ayurveda said its amla juice is an ayurvedic medicine and test on it should be conducted as per the norms of the AYUSH Ministry. The firm said norms prescribed by the country's food regulator--Food Safety and Standards Authority of India-- were not applicable to the juice.

The CSD regularly sends items from its inventory for testing at various government-run laboratories across the country.

Earlier, reports had claimed that insects were allegedly found in a packet of Patanjali Atta Noodles in Haryana and fungus in a packet of Patanjali ghee in Haridwar.

(With PTI inputs)