Five months after Maggi noodles was taken off shelves, Nestle India on Monday resumed sales of the popular instant noodles brand in India. To start with, Maggi will be available in 100 towns and will be rolled out across the country in a phased manner, for which the company is working with its suppliers and distributors.
The Swiss food giant has also tied up with online marketplace Snapdeal for the sale of the product. Maggi, however, continues to be banned in eight states — Bihar, Orissa, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Nestle is in discussions with these States.
“We are delighted to announce that your beloved Maggi noodles is back…same taste, same pack and same price. It has been a challenging period for the company, and therefore, there is a feeling of satisfaction at bringing back Maggi noodles to the market…we will take some time to cover all the 4 million stores where Maggi was available earlier,” Nestle India Chairman and Managing Director Suresh Narayanan told reporters.
Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had slapped a nationwide ban on Maggi in June alleging that the snack contained excessive quantities of lead.
The Bombay High Court, however, overturned the ruling and ordered fresh tests. Earlier this month, Nestle said a government-approved laboratory had found samples from the freshly manufactured stocks of Maggi to be safe.
Asked about the a class action suit filed by the government against the company, seeking about Rs.640 crore in damages for alleged unfair trade practices, false labelling and misleading advertisements, Mr. Narayanan said it is ‘most unfortunate’ and that Nestle India would defend itself to the best of the company’s abilities.
Asked if the company would file a suit against FSSAI to seek damages, Mr. Narayanan said, “At the moment, we are very clear that we would be focusing on building the brand .”
Nestle manufactures Maggi at five plants in India. While the production has begun at Nanjangud (Karnataka), Moga (Punjab) and Bicholim (Goa), manufacturing is yet to resume at Tahliwal (Himachal Pradesh) and Pantnagar (Uttarakhand).
The newly appointed MD said Nestle India would carry out intensified campaigns across various media to overcome the impact on the Maggi brand from the whole controversy, “what has been like a life issue for a human being” and “to nurture the brand back to its health”.
