Lockdown Blues: Sale Of Maggi Shoots Up, Nestle Struggles To Ensure Supply

New Delhi: Amidst the countrywide lockdown, the sale of Maggi noodles has shot up and Nestle is struggling to meet the growing demand for the popular food product.

“We understand that there are consumers whose Maggi consumption may have gone up,” Nestle India chairman Suresh Narayanan said.

“It is natural that in situations like these there are some delays in delivery of both raw materials and finished goods; this is a public health emergency situation and our priority is to continue supply under challenging conditions,” Narayanan was quoted as saying by the Economic Times.

Nestle also makes Nescafe coffee and KitKat chocolate.

Narayanan said Nestle units are taking all precautionary measures and ensuring social distancing norms.

A fortnight ago, Nestle had temporarily suspended production across some of its plants with the exception of essential products due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Addressing the employees, Nestle SA chief executive Mark Schneider said, “We would like to remind you of the special responsibility that a company like ours has at this time. Food and beverage products are essential to peoples’ lives.”

The nationwide lockdown has led to an increase in demand for packaged foods.

However, food and beverage companies are finding it difficult to produce and deliver enough products to the retail stores because of shortage of labour.