Nestlé prepares to return Maggi noodles to the shelves

Following tests mandated by Bombay High Court which found all 90 samples covering six lines contained none of the lead levels food regulators had earlier claimed were present, Nestlé has said it will return to manufacturing Maggi.

“Nestlé India has always maintained that MAGGI Noodles are safe​,” it said in a statement. 

“[We have] conducted over 3,500 tests representing over 200m packs in both national [and internationally] accredited laboratories and all reports are clear​.”

The company said it would continue to collaborate with FSSAI, the food regulator, and other stakeholders. 

“In compliance with the orders of the Hon’ble Bombay High Court, we will now commence manufacture and will start selling only after the newly manufactured products are also cleared by the designated three laboratories​.”

Economic Times​ reported that Nestlé is expected to ramp up its advertising effort in a bid to regain ground lost since Maggi was removed from sale in June. It will also attempt to reassure consumers that the safety of the product was never an issue.

The company began its offensive this week with a print ad that said: "Your Maggi is safe, has always been​.” It then 

Recently, Nestlé trumpeted its centenary as a manufacturer in India, though it did not mention the noodles, probably its best loved product in the country, at the time. 

Meanwhile, Karnataka and Gujarat have lifted their respective Maggi bans. Nestlé said that the brand would be reintroduced “at the earliest​”.

SL to invest in homegrown sustainability​

Sri Lankan ministries and government institutions will spend around SLR16bn (US$113m) on a national food production programme to ease the country’s reliance on imports.

Cabinet minister Rajitha Senaratne said Sri Lanka had been spending SLR200bn each year on imported foods, including fish and meat, that could instead be bought locally.

“Therefore, it has become a current requirement for minimizing the expenditure on imports by producing the utmost amount of food in Sri Lanka​,” Senaratne said.

The programme will see the introduction of a crop production programme in agro-environmental zones. It will also target the production of food supplies that do not use chemical fertilisers and pesticides to promote food security while improving human nutrition.

Beginning later this year, and expected to be implemented throughout the country by 2018, the programme will also attempt to bring modern technology and mechanical production methods to farms.

India waste ban hits global PET market​

India’s decision in July to ban the import of waste from other countries has had an impact on international polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle waste prices.

The government made the decision, which includes the import of PET bottles, in a bid to help improve its own waste management processes and encourage recycling.

Since peaking at the time of the announcement, PET prices have fallen 30%, commodities researcher Mintec has found. 

India also rejected a subsequent proposal to receive 86,000 tonnes of imported PET waste from the US, the UK and the UAE. 

The import ban has increased UK PET waste supply, additionally contributing to the market experiencing the lowest prices since 2008.

PET prices across Europe have been falling, both in the virgin and recycled sectors. Whenever the virgin PET prices decline, the producers of rPET (recycled PET) have been forced to cut down their prices in order to stay competitive. As the demand diminishes, waste PET prices also fall. 

India imports 70-80% of its PET bottle waste to be used for recycling, with the UK one of the major exporters to the country.