Nestlé resumes Maggi noodles production in India
NEW DELHI: Five months after it went off the shelves, Swiss major Nestlé on Monday resumed production of its popular Maggi instant noodles at three plants – Nanjangud (Karnataka), Moga (Punjab) and Bicholim (Goa).
However, there is no clarity on how long it will take to reach your neighbourbood stores.
The company said it will next send samples of the noodles from the new lots produced at these plants to the three accredited laboratories designated by the High Court. “We shall commence sales only after the samples are cleared by these laboratories,” a company spokesperson said. “We are engaging with the relevant state authorities and other stakeholders at our other manufacturing locations, to commence manufacture at the earliest.”
Sales of Maggi noodles manufactured in India was banned in different states after food regulator FSSAI allegedly found a high level of lead and taste enhancers such as monosodium glutamate (MSG). As the controversy snowballed, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India ordered the company to stop production, import and sales of nine variants “unsafe and hazardous” for human consumption.
With the factories humming again, the company hopes the labs will approve the new lot, and the noodles can be shipped to stores soon, company sources said.
“For Nestlé, filling the pipeline is not much of an issue but re-distributing it to every nook and corner of the country will be a time-consuming process,” said Arvind Singhal, chairman of retail consultants Technopak.
It remains to be seen whether the company will manage to regain its lost sheen and popularity, and in what time-frame.