Nestle India resumed the manufacture of Maggi noodles at the Pantnagar factory in Uttarakhand, making this the fourth factory which is now manufacturing the product after Nanjangud in Karnataka, Moga in Punjab and Bicholim in Goa.
Advertisement
One of the financial implications of the ban on Maggi, according to Nestle India, was that the company had to bear an exceptional cost of INR4.762 billion, which included the cost of destroying 34,663 tonnes of noodles. Suppliers, vendors, distributors, retailers, kiosks which sell prepared Maggi noodles and service providers are in the process of reinstating and re-activating the systems and processes, the company said.
Celebrating this occasion, Suresh Narayanan, Chairman and Managing Director of Nestlé India said: “Over the past 32 years, MAGGI Noodles has become the most relevant, trusted and valuable food brand in India”. As we welcome it back, we reach out to more than 600 towns and cities, covering about 2 lakh outlets.
On November 16, the state food safety commissioner wrote to the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India asking the central body to clarify if the ban of June 5 was still in force.In an official statement, Nesle said the directions of the Bombay HC had been complied with. Nestle later announced it had restarted production at three plants in India, and said those had also passed laboratory tests.
“In past few weeks, Nestle has been in active engagement with the authorities and has provided all the documents and clarifications, before commencement of production”, it added.
“We are yet to start production in Tahliwal (Himachal Pradesh) and are engaging with the authorities and other stakeholders for necessary clearance”, the company added.
Advertisement
The department has also alleged that the company sold “defective” goods to the public with the presence of lead and MSG and indulged in unfair trade practices by offering for sale Maggi Oats Masala Noodles with Tastemaker without risk assessment and product approval. In August, Nestle India had got a reprieve from the Bombay High Court, which lifted the ban slapped by food regulator FSSAI on nine variants of the popular instant noodles across the country.
