INDIA-NESTLE Nestle pulls Maggi noodles off Indian shelves as food scare spreads

Record ID: 150191

  • Title: INDIA-NESTLE Nestle pulls Maggi noodles off Indian shelves as food scare spreads
  • Date: 5th June 2015
  • Summary: NEW DELHI, INDIA (JUNE 5, 2015) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF NESTLE, PAUL BULCKE, WALKING OFFICIALS OF NESTLE SITTING (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF NESTLE, PAUL BULCKE, SAYING: "I said for the quality and safety for Nestle is paramount, it's the first priority that translates (into) trust with consumers that was just sh
  • Embargoed: 20th June 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: India
  • Country: India
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAFDKUNW8AP14CSYFDKGBM3DLT
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL THAT WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3
    Nestle's chief executive Paul Bulcke promised on Friday (June 5) to win back the trust of Indian consumers after it pulled its Maggi instant noodles from stores across the country.
    Regulators reported that some packets contained excess lead.
    After coming under fire for failing to react swiftly and decisively, Nestle bowed to pressure in the early hours of Friday and announced an India-wide recall.
    In an effort to quell India's most significant food scare in nearly a decade, the Swiss food giant fielded group chief executive Paul Bulcke to calm consumers at a televised press conference.
    "I said for the quality and safety for Nestle is paramount, it's the first priority that translates (into) trust with consumers that was just shaken and it is now our intention and with the consumer in mind that we are going work and do anything in our... everything that it takes to work also and clarify with the authorities the situation and to have the Maggi noodles back on the shelf as soon as possible," said Bulcke in New Delhi.
    Bulcke said publicly Nestle would not challenge the Indian food testing methods, but the regulator's report indicated Nestle had contested elements including the fact condiments were tested separately to the noodles.
    The government has also issued an advisory countrywide to recall the products.
    "Food Safety Standards Authority of India had issued a notice to advisory to all the states to examine the products of 'Maggi' and see to it whether they follow the regulations or not. After getting the reports from various state governments and calling the authorities of Nestle, giving them the reports which we had received, we have come to the conclusion that the good safety standards have not been adhered by Nestle company and Maggi products, and that is why we have given instructions that all nine Maggi products should be recalled from the market," said India's Health Minister, J.P. Nadda.
    Adding to Nestle's troubles, India's food safety regulator issued a statement just as that meeting ended, accusing the food giant of violating labelling and other rules in India. It ordered a recall of the instant noodles it said were "unsafe and hazardous" for human consumption.
    Maggi two-minute noodles, which sell for a dozen rupees ($0.20) per single-serving packet, are hugely popular in India. The snack is frequently served to children and eaten at roadside shacks and "Maggi points" across the country.
    With Bollywood superstars in its advertising campaigns, Maggi has been a market leader for three decades, though it now competes with rival brands like Hindustan Unilever Ltd's Knorr and GlaxoSmithKline PLC's Horlicks.
    Despite poor public hygiene, to date India has not experienced food scares on the same scale as China. But analysts say increasingly affluent, health-conscious consumers and easy access to social media are likely to mean more incidents capture public attention, and global brands need to be better prepared.
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