‘Some consumers will continue to have some doubts on Maggi’

It is the comeback that everyone has been awaiting with bated breath. After being mired in controversy and staring at a long ban, Maggi is finally hitting the shelves again. Speaking to Bloomberg TV India, Nestle India Chairman and Managing Director Suresh Narayanan says quality has remained — and will remain — Nestle's top priority.

What are your thoughts as Maggi gets back to the shelves and as Nestle prepares to re-launch Maggi in the market? What are the concerns going forward and how are you planning to counter those concerns?

Obviously, I am a pragmatist and I know that a seed of doubt has been planted in the mind of some of our consumers regarding the safety and quality of our products. I stand by one statement: for Nestle, quality and safety are not to be compromised at any cost. For us, quality equals trust. Trust is a very serious business for the company.

We are not going away from the fact that some consumers will have some doubt in their mind — that whether or not the product is safe. In this regard some of our commercials that are out now in social media will also be soon out on television screens and they will address the issue.

The issue squarely rests on the fact that you have been safe, you are safe and you will continue to be safe. That is one part of it. Obviously, in terms of the communication strategy going forward therefore is going be a lot of emphasis on this aspect.

Second, I think the important issue for us would be in terms of all activations and engagements that we will be around the fact that the product is exactly the same taste that it was.

What all variants will you be introducing in the days to come? Is it just Masala Maggi or others as well? Have you changed anything?

What is important for us is to give the consumer what the he/ she loves. It will be arrogance if I change the whole thing and come up with something that the consumer says is not ‘my Maggi’. They have loved Maggi so what we have done is the product Maggi has the same taste, the same packaging. That is what the consumer loves and as a company we will give them what exactly they love.

Today, Maggi Masala has hit the markets. Over a period, we will put up other variants. I hope in the coming years we expand the repertoire of Maggi because it means so much to consumers.

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