Nestlé India has commended the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) for its proactive and industry-centered approach over the past decade, particularly highlighting improvements in food testing with the establishment of NABL-accredited laboratories. Speaking at a recent media roundtable, Suresh Narayanan, Chairman and Managing Director of Nestlé India, emphasized the transformation in FSSAI’s operations since the 2015 Maggi noodles crisis.
Narayanan noted that FSSAI has become “far more industry-centered” and praised the responsiveness and credibility that have defined the regulator’s approach in recent years. Since the Maggi ban in 2015 due to allegations of excessive lead levels, FSSAI has garnered respect from industry players, including Nestlé, which subsequently relaunched Maggi and maintained a dominant 60% market share in India’s instant noodles segment.
Narayanan underscored the significant shift in FSSAI’s “tone and tenor” over the past decade, applauding its constructive engagement and efficient response to industry needs. This proactive stance has extended to the regulator’s action on pan-India sample testing, including its April investigation of Nestlé’s Cerelac baby cereals following reports of high sugar content—a claim Nestlé has refuted.
The 2015 crisis marked a turning point for FSSAI, pushing the regulator into national prominence and prompting strengthened oversight. The regulator’s approach has been acknowledged not only by Nestlé but by industry stakeholders who view FSSAI’s credibility in testing and its responsiveness as crucial to maintaining public trust.
Following the Bombay High Court’s stay on the Maggi ban, further lab testing in 2016 confirmed lead levels within permissible limits, restoring the product’s market presence. Nestlé’s relations with FSSAI remain “cordial and respectful,” according to Narayanan, reflecting a cooperative stance with the regulator, which he describes as “far more industry-centered.”
Nestlé India, a subsidiary of Swiss multinational Nestlé S.A., continues to grow in India, its largest global market for Maggi, underscoring the mutual respect and cooperation fostered over the years with FSSAI.