SINGAPORE - Maggi instant noodles produced in India are safe to eat, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) said on Monday night.

AVA has informed affected Singapore importers that sale of the brand's noodles from India may be resumed, after food safety tests found that the product does not pose risks to consumers.

It had earlier advised importers to withhold sales while it conducted laboratory tests, following concerns over higher-than-permissible levels of lead in the product.

Results from AVA's laboratory tests, which cover "a wide range of hazards associated with food", showed that the India-made Maggi instant noodles meet local food safety standards.

The authority also tested Maggi instant noodles produced in other countries, and results revealed that these meet the food safety requirements, too.

Food products that fail tests will not be allowed for sale, said the AVA, which added that Singapore has imported "a small amount" of the brand's noodles manufactured in India.

On June 3, India temporarily banned the sale of the popular instant noodles after excess levels of lead were found in batches tested in New Delhi and in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.

Switzerland-based food group Nestle, which makes the instant noodles, said in a statement on June 5 that while the noodles are completely safe, it had decided to take the products off the shelves. But they will make a comeback "as soon as the current situation is clarified", it added in the statement.