After voluntarily withdrawing Maggi noodles from the market, Nestle India, now buoyed by clearance from Singapore has on Thursday approached Bombay High Court against ban on Maggi noodles.

Last week, FSSAI had banned nine variants of Maggi terming them "unsafe and hazardous" for human consumption after finding high levels of lead and presence of taste enhancer monosodium glutamate (MSG). Nestle India also announced withdrawal of the product from the market.

Meanwhile, Goa's Food and Drugs Administration has sent the noodle samples for a third test. Goa FDA had given a clean chit to the instant noodles after it had found lead below the permissible level and no monosodium glutamate (MSG) in the samples that it had analysed. But FSSAI had dismissed the report as "questionable".

The third test, samples for which were couriered on Wednesday to Mysuru's Central Food Technological Research Institute, is to restore "credibility" of the state laboratory where Maggi noodles was examined first by Goa FDA. The report is expected in within eight to 10 days.

Maharashtra FDA, which showed negligible lead content in 15 out of 20 samples, is not going for any counter-verification test as "FSSAI has already ordered a national recall".

Kerala had cleared Maggi noodles after two tests and is now testing other brands.

In another related development, Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) has decided to recall its Chinese range of 'Knorr' instant noodles from the market pending product approval from the FSSAI.

"HUL has decided to stop production and sale of its Chinese range of instant noodles till such time as its application is approved by FSSAI. HUL is initiating a withdrawal of its Chinese instant noodles from the market," HUL said in a statement.

It, however, made it clear that "the discontinuance of manufacturing and sale of Chinese instant noodles is not on account of any safety or quality concerns." The FSSAI on Monday issued an order to test more brands of noodles, pastas and macaronis.

It listed 33 items manufactured by seven companies approved by it in these categories, wherein HUL's Chinese range of 'Knorr' instant noodles did not feature.

HUL said it had submitted an application with FSSAI for product approval for the Knorr Chinese range of instant noodles in February 2015.