HISTORY OF MAGGI NOODLES

The bright red and yellow colours of the packet with the brilliant blue2-minute
Noodles printed on it has found a place on every kitchen.
Over the years, Maggi has grown as a brand and positioned itself as a Fast to
cook! Good to Eat!food product. Well a lot about this has been written on this site. I did
not want to come up with just another review on it, hence I decided to review it as a
brand & provide some facts about it that made it click in the Indian Market.
Well the history of this brand traces back to the 19th century when industrial
revolution in Switzerland created factory jobs for women, who were therefore left with
very little time to prepare meals. Due to this growing problem Swiss Public Welfare
Society asked a miller named Julius Maggi to create a vegetable food product that
would be quick to prepare and easy to digest. Julius, the son of an Italian immigrant
came up with a formula to bring added taste to meals in 1863. Soon after he was
commissioned by the Swiss Public Welfare Society, he came up with two instant pea
soups & a bean soup- the first launch of Maggi brand of instant foods in 188283.Towards the end of the century, Maggi company was producing not just powdered
soups, but bouillon cubes, sauces and other flavorings. Maggi noodles is one of the
worlds popular instant noodle brands. It is owned by Nestl and is majorly sold in
Australia, South Africa, India, Brazil, Brunei, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia,
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Philippines and Fiji. It is also called Maggi Mee in some
countries. It is sold under the brand name Maggi which markets soups, broths, stocks,
ketchup, coconut milk powder and instant noodles.
In several countries, it is also known as "maggi mee" (mee is
Indonesian/Malay/Hokkien for noodles). Maggi noodles are part of the Maggi family, a
Nestl brand of instant soups, stocks, and noodles. In Malaysia, there are fried noodles
made from maggi noodles known as Maggi goreng. Maggi noodles recently introduced
a new variety of its noodles, to cater for the health conscious like 'No MSG', 'Less Salt',
and 'No Trans fat'. A wholewheat flour based noodle variation marketed by the name
"Vegetable Atta Noodles" has been introduced in India (Atta flour is used in preparing
most forms of wheat based breads in India) and caters to health conscious buyers wary
of the refined flour used in the regular Maggi noodles. This move helps the brand in
India as suburban mothers, who feed the noodles to children as an afterschool snack,
are the primary customers of the brand. Recently, a line of rice noodles and whole
wheat with pulses, carrots, beans, and onions has also been introduced in India. In fact,
"Maggi" has become a well-known brand for instant noodles in India and Malaysia such
as curry and chicken flavoured noodle soup.
Nestl India Ltd (NIL) offered a variety of culinary products such as instant noodles,
soups, sauces and ketchups, cooking aids (seasonings), etc., under the Maggi brand
(Refer to Exhibit II for Maggi's product portfolio as of mid-2006). Of these, instant

noodles had been NIL's main product category in the culinary segment since the launch
of Maggi 2 Minute Noodles (Maggi noodles) in 1982. Over the years, Maggi noodles
became a popular snack food product in India. In fact, the word "Maggi" has become a
synonymous term for any brand of instant noodles in India and Malaysia.
In mid-2008, New Zealand supermarkets introduced replacement formulations for
its Beef, Oriental, and Curry flavours. A new feature is an extra sachet containing
dehydrated vegetables. Maggi claims the new range contains 88% less total fat and
86% less saturated fat than the average of top-three (unnamed) 2-minute-noodle
competitors. The new Maggi range also has considerably lower fat than its own
previous formulation. However, the salt content has been increased by 31 percent.
Consumers have not reacted well to the new formulations, complaining that they want
the original chicken flavour back.
In the Philippines, packs of Maggi noodles were recalled by Nestle Philippines
after it was said to be contaminated with salmonella.
Maggi noodles also contain the additives E150d and E627.[1] E150d is sometimes
made from maize.[2]
Claimed to be "2 minute noodles", The Maggi noodle cake and seasoning is
added into boiling water for two minutes and it is ready for consumption. Egg, seaweed,
boiled vegetables or lemon can also be added to the noodles for a better flavour.
THE DECLINE OF MAGGI NOODLES
During the 1990s, the sales of Maggi noodles declined, and this was attributed p
artly tothe growing popularity of Top Ramen, another instant noodles product.
In 2011, Nestl Philippines Inc. has recalled their Maggi beef and chicken
noodles after being contaminated by salmonella.
Nestl Philippines also stated that it is safe to eat their Maggi noodles if it is cooked
properly.
Moreover, Nestle also stated that the product recall is a precautionary measure in
ensuring the safety and the quality of the product; this also initiated a further
investigation to resolve the cause of the contamination.