MAGGI MAY BE BACK SOON

Your wait for Maggi noodles could get over this month. After receiving a clean chit from all three accredited laboratories mandated by the Bombay High Court to test fresh Maggi samples, Nestlé India on Wednesday said it will try to restart the sale of its popular noodles later this month.

“All the samples of the Maggi Noodles masala have been cleared with lead much-below permissible limits,” the company said. “Now that the court orders have been complied with, we will make our best endeavour to commence the sale of Maggi within this month.”

While Nestlé is working on a re-launch package along with a communication plan to build back consumers’ trust, experts believe it may take lots of perseverance.

“Undoubtedly, Nestlé’s brand equity has been hurt,” said Piyush Pandey, executive chairman, Ogilvy & Mather India. “But it’s a strong brand, which may see consumers coming slowly, but they will come back.”

But what about the harm caused by competitors such as Yippee! and Wai Wai? “Consumers are creatures of habit. Therefore, I would not expect all the past Maggi consumers to switch back,” said Siddharth Shekhar Singh, associate professor, marketing, Indian School of Business.

Retailers, however, reject the scepticism. “Despite the availability of many other brands, no brand was able to fill in the vacuum left by Maggi,” said Darshana Shah, senior vicepresident, HyperCity.