On 9th November, Maggi was back in stores after a long, agonizing gap 6 months. And within 2 weeks of its relaunch, Maggi has sold a staggering 45 million packets.
Maggi had tied up with Snapdeal for its comeback, and had sold packs of 12 that came with a calendar and a poster. Snapdeal had managed to sell 60,000 packs on the first day.
Earlier this year, The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), had ordered Nestle to withdraw all varieties of Maggi from the market, stating that the product contained excess lead content and traces of monosodium glutamate (MSG), a compound harmful to the human body.
The Bombay High Court gave relief to Nestle and set aside that ban on 13th Aug, provided that the product withstood fresh tests. Maggie then obtained clearance from the National Accreditation Board for Test and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) on 5th November.
In early November, Nestle India resumed production of the brand at three factories—Nanjangud (Karnataka), Moga (Punjab) and Bicholim (Goa). Sanction to resume production at Tahiwal (Himachal Pradesh) is yet awaited. Although Nestle India reaches 3.6 million outlets in the country, the brand is being retailed in just 2,00,000 outlets across 600 cities and towns.
According to the new managing director, Suresh Narayanan, brought in post the Maggi crisis, “The re-launch has had a refreshing effect upon employees and across the supply chain as thousands of farmers, distributors, suppliers and retailers are happy to be part of this. Today, the entire ecosystem including our employees and stakeholders are extremely happy and humbled to have been able to return to the consumers their favourite MAGGI Noodles Masala. We are hopeful that this journey will help us re-calibrate, re-charge and re-focus on the brand.”
Post the Maggi learning, and according to a company spokesperson, “Accountability and responsibility has to be at same level. Walking and talking has to happen at same level. The focus will be on breaking silos and ‘lethargic’ responses, and sales will bring in change.”