You Can Buy Nestle's Maggi Noodles Now Only On Snapdeal

Maggi was back on the shelves on Monday five months after the popular instant noodles were banned in the country for higher than permissible levels of lead in one of the biggest crises to hit Nestle.

The Swiss food giant’s best-seller in India, Maggi noodles returned in the same bright yellow packaging and at a price of Rs 12 for a single pack as was before June 5 when the country’s food regulator ordered their recall for unsafe levels of lead and failing to mention monosodium glutamate, or MSG, a chemical flavour enhancer.

“The return of Maggi Noodles on the auspicious eve of Deepawali and on the day of Dhanteras is a moment of celebration for all of us,” said Nestle India chairman and managing director Suresh Nayaranan.

It will be few months before the popular snack will be available across the country, as the ‘masala’ version has been relaunched in 100 cities towns, including Delhi.

All samples of Maggi Noodles Masala were cleared by three food-testing labs as mandated by the Bombay high court, Nestle India said. The tests were ordered by the court as it overturned the ban, calling it “arbitrary”.

“The rollout has begun today. It has been a challenging period for the Nestle Organisation, and therefore, there is a feeling of satisfaction at bringing back Maggi noodles,” Nestle India said in a regulatory filing. The company took a hit of Rs 450 crore and was forced to destroy more than 30,000 tonnes of the quick-cooking noodles. “It’s just a few hours of launch, but the response of consumer is overwhelming,” said Narayanan.

The noodles will not be available in Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Orissa, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura, Punjab and Uttrakhand, as local governments are yet to lift the ban after the Uttar Pradesh government ordered a recall in May, triggering a chain reaction across the country.

Nestle has also entered into an exclusive arrangement with Snapdeal, an ecommerce platform, to sell Maggi from November 12 though “registration” began on Monday. Maggie is presently available on Snapdeal in carton. A carton contains 100 packets.

Nestle India still faces Rs 640 crore class action suit filed by the government for allegedly misleading the public and indulging in unfair trade practices.