How Nestle Maggi used social media for damage limitation after

it was banned in India.

The Action!

21st May 2015 Orders to recall Maggi noodles

Nestl India was ordered by Indian food inspectors to recall a batch of Maggi Noodles from
the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh due to the claim that tests have found Maggi instant
noodles unsafe and hazardous and that the food & beverage company was accused of failing
to comply with food safety law.

The Reaction!

Initially the global food & Baverage Company rejected the accusation that the Maggi noodles
were unsafe and they announced on their website and social media outlets that there are no
orders to recall any products.

A statement on their website said that:

The quality and safety of our products are the top priorities for our Company. We have in
place strict food safety and quality controls at out Maggi factories We do not add MSG to
Maggi Noodles, and glutamate, if present, may come from naturally occurring sources. We
are surprised with the content supposedly found in the sample as we monitor the lead content
regularly as a part of the regulatory requirements.
The Crisis Management!

1st June Nestl re-assured customers that its noodles are safe

Nestl consistently shared the updates on the investigation into the safety of Maggi noodles in
India with the customers through Maggi noodless official India Facebook page, Twitter and
website. The food & baverage company announced on these platforms that according to the
extensive testing there is no excess lead in Maggi noodles

2nd June Nestl expressed thanks to customers on social media for their support

On its twitter & Facebook page, the food & baverage company interacted with the customers,
answered their questions about the levels of MSG & lead found in their noodles and thanked
them for their support. The company consistently reassured customers about the safety of the
noodles and that they are a transparent company. They updated the customer on how closely
they are working with authorities in India for resolving the issue as soon as possible. The
company also explained the science behind the tests as to what lead & MSG giving an
informative breakdown of the ingredients in their product at the same time.
@MaggiIndia made a remarkable effort in responding to every tweet from customers on this
issue with a well thought-out statement that explained how lead occurs naturally in soil and
water.

3rd June Nestl started an FAQ page on its official website

Apart from consistently engaging with customers in an active dialogue on social media
channels such as Facebook and Twitter, Nestl also created a FAQ page on its official
website for answering all questions.
FYI: tweet retweeted 846 times:

4th June Nestl rectraced its steps and recalled all Maggi noodles from India

After the brand reassured the customers that its noodles are safe, it did a U-turn and settled on
recalling Maggi noodles produced in India.

Nestl CEO Paul Bulcke said while speaking to the media We are working with authorities
to clarify the situation and in the meantime Nestl will be withdrawing Maggi noodles from
shelves.

The food & baverage company finally chose to destroy more than 32million ($50million)
worth of Maggi Noodles in India when they were considered unsafe by regulators.

3rd July Testing on Maggi noodles in other parts of the world found levels of lead were
within food safety levels

After the food safety panic in India Maggi noodles was tested in other parts of the world for
reassuring the consumers that they are safe. Tests in UK declared that the levels of lead in the
product are within EU levels followed by tests Canada that as well cleared Maggi noodles as
safe

The Summary
The Comeback: August 2015

It was undoubtedly a difficult summer for Nestl India however it was just the summer as
very soon the company received some positive news when an Indian government approved
laboratory found that Maggi noodles in fact complied with national food safety standards.

The FSSIA (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) was slammed by Indias food
minister for creating an environment of panic in the food industry. In the mean time, Maggi
noodles were cleared in many foreign countries; Nestl received permission from the
Bombay High Court as well for exporting Indian Maggi noodles.
How social media helped in damage limitation?

When FDA in India deemed Maggi noodles, one of Nestls top products unsafe, everyone
was waiting for Nestl response as to how would they manage the situation? In the beginning
the food & baverage company defended its product through various digital channels rejecting
all claims that its noodles were unsafe.

Through social media that included Facebook and multiple Twitter accounts (main Nestl
account, Nestl India, Maggi India) Nestl reassured customers that its product is safe. The
company tried responding to each & every comment on social media directly. They even
created a section on their main website for sharing updates with the customers consistently.

However, due to the pressure that grew on the global company, Nestls CEO announced in a
press conference that they will withdraw all Maggi noodles in India from shelves for
complying with the regulators.

Again through digital channels Nestl explained the customers as to why this decision was
made and answered all their questions. The company also elucidated the science behind the
reason for the ban in simple terms to make the customers understand.

The panic was a big shock for the company that had been selling its Maggi products for over
three decades in India covering 80% of the countrys instant noodle market. However, the
brand made smart use of digital channels mainly social media to manage the crisis and
limited further damage by informing, updating and reassuring the customers to give
confidence to them to continue buying the noodles in the future.