Nestle to cut salt content in Maggi by another 10%

NEW DELHI: Keeping in line with changing consumer preference towards healthier products, Swiss food giant Nestle said it will cut salt content in its instant noodles Maggi by a further 10% in 12-18 months. Over the years, Nestle has reduced salt in Maggi by 33%. The instant noodles brand, which has remained the mainstay of Nestle’s Indian portfolio, contributed around 35% to the company’s growth in 2017.

“This change is happening not only in the packaged food business but also across categories such as cosmetics,” said Arvind Singhal, founder of retail consultancy Technopak. “There is a consumer backlash against products that are perceived to have higher content of sugar, salt and chemicals. There is a definite consumer shift towards products that have natural and Ayurvedic properties.”

And Nestle isn’t the only food company that has been talking about tweaking products — to not only satiate palates of Indian consumers’ but also their newfound bias towards healthier products.


Global food and beverage giants Coke and PepsiCo were some of the first companies to jump on to the health bandwagon. While PepsiCo has chalked out a strategy to shift its business away from colas to premium food products, Coke has pledged to reduce sugar content across its portfolio.

Even junk food companies have been proactive. Recently, multinational fast food chain KFC chose rice bran oil over palm oil to fry its products in India. Similarly, Gunjan Shah, VP of sales at Britannia, said there is increased demand for fortified food. “For instance, we have seen traction for bread that is fortified with vitamins.”