Over the past ten years, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has changed significantly from its previous strategy to become a more proactive and industry-centred regulator, Nestle India Chairman and MD Suresh Narayanan told PTI.
Speaking on the move, Narayanan hailed the food safety body's improved transparency and quicker reactions, describing it as a “dramatic change in tone and tenor”.
During a media roundtable, Narayanan highlighted the important progress the FSSAI has made since the 2015 Maggi noodles scandal.
Maggi noodles were temporarily taken off the market after the FSSAi prohibited them in June 2015 on the grounds of high head levels, underscoring the necessity for more stringent industry regulation.
FSSAI was created in 2008, but it wasn't until this crisis that it attracted national attention. The creation of the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL)-accredited labs has improved testing reliability and bolstered the reputation of the FSSAI, according to Narayanan, who led Nestle India through the Maggi crisis.
Given previous product testing difficulties, such as a pan-India examination of Nestle's Cerelac in response to claims of sugar content earlier this year, Narayanan said the company's relationship with the FSSAI is still "cordial and respectful." 14 new Cerelac varieties were just introduced by Nestle as part of their continuous growth in India.
A lengthy chapter in the story came to an end earlier this year when the National Consumer Dispute Redressal Commission (NCDRC) rejected two petitions from the Ministry of Consumer Affairs asking Nestle for a total of ₹640 crore in damages related to the Maggi issue.
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