With a lot of pressure building from across the country and regulators, Nestlé India has finally decided to take the Maggi products off the shelves with immediate effect. Reiterating the company noted in a statement that Maggi Noodles are completely safe and have been trusted in India for over 30 years.
The company further observed “The trust of our consumers and the safety of our products is our first priority. Unfortunately, recent developments and unfounded concerns about the product have led to an environment of confusion for the consumer, to such an extent that we have decided to withdraw the product off the shelves, despite the product being safe. We promise that the trusted Maggi Noodles will be back in the market as soon as the current situation is clarified.”
The Maggi brand contributes about 30% of the Nestle India’s annual sales of Rs 9,854.84 crore for the year ending December 31, 2014. During 2013, the company’s sales touched Rs 9,101.05 crore.
During 2014 Maggi improved its position in the annual Brand Equity survey where it moved up 4 positions and is in the Top 5 Most Trusted Brands of India. While the survey also ranked Maggi as the No.1 Food Brand in India, another independent assessment ranked Maggi as the Most Powerful Brand in India. According to Nestle India’s 2014 annual report, Maggi has over 3 million fans on Maggi page and Maggi Oats Noodles commercial generates over 1.5 Million views.
Nestle has presence across India with 8 manufacturing facilities and 4 branch offices. Nestle India set up its first manufacturing facility at Moga (Punjab) in 1961 followed by its manufacturing facilities at Choladi (Tamil Nadu), in 1967; Nanjangud (Karnataka), in 1989; Samalkha (Haryana), in 1993; Ponda and Bicholim (Goa), in 1995 and 1997, respectively; and Pantnagar (Uttarakhand), in 2006. In 2012, Nestle India set up its 8th manufacturing facility at Tahliwal (Himachal Pradesh).
| Maggi as a Brand: • WPP Milward Brown survey declared Maggi as the ‘Most Powerful Brand’ in India where Brand Power was a measure of salience, relevance, connect, uniqueness and dynamism. • In the Economic Times Brand Equity Survey 2014, Maggi moved up 4 positions from the previous year survey to break into the Top 5 Most Trusted Brands of India. Also ranked as the No.1 Food Brand in India. |