Nestle India has launched a PAN India campaign for Maggi to restore the trust of millions of Indians after Maggi landed in beef for having lead in it. Maggi Row has been going on since 2015 when the Consumer Affairs Ministry filed a complaint before the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC), against Nestle India claiming that Nestle had allegedly indulged in unfair trade practices and false labeling related to the Maggi noodles product. The ministry had charged that Nestle India has misled consumers claiming that Maggi was healthy, “Taste Bhi, Healthy Bhi”.
Nestle had to withdraw Maggi from the market over the allegations of the high lead content & presence of MSG and had to launch several campaigns to ensure not losing credibility among the Indian customers. #WeMissYou had people talking about it at length over social media.
The brand tried to clarify in the campaign that Maggi has gone through a rigorous testing & checks & the company does not add lead to Maggi, However, it did show up that lead comes naturally to it. Nestle is working constantly on preventing any damage to Maggi’s brand equity in India and not the same thing happens once again that happened in 2015.
As per Google Trends, owing to the recent court case, the discussion around Maggi is on the rise. The controversy began recently again when the Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysuru (CFTRI) placed its reports and found out that the lead content in the Maggi was well within the permissible limit. Supreme Court revived the Government’s case in NCDRC against Nestle India seeking damages of Rs. 640 Crore on charges of unfair trade, false labeling & misleading advertisements.
The news spread like wildfire & social media has been booming with people expressing their concerns over the matter. The results were placed in front of a bench of justices looking into it. However, they questioned that credibility of Maggi and as to why should a consumer eat Maggi with lead. Nestle India’s spokesperson stated that their approach as a credible, trustworthy & responsible a company is to always communicate with consumers on facts, in a simple, clear & transparent tone & manner.
Today, Maggi dominates over 60% of market share & is more popular than any other noodle brand. However, what’s the fate of Maggi is yet to be decided as the matter is still under observation.
