Nestle sets up first food safety institute in India at Manesar

Manesar: More than two years since the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) banned Nestle India Ltd’s Maggi instant noodles over health and safety worries, the new FSSAI CEO Pawan Kumar Agarwal on Wednesday inaugurated the Nestle Food Safety Institute that will provide guidance and training on food safety.

“This partnership is very well thought strategy. Nestle Food Safety Institute will conduct training programmes, on food safety management systems, testing methods and regulatory standards. Partnerships with private parties on food safety and standards are an imperative for FSSAI. This is our effort to implement a first world regulatory ecosystem in India,” said Agarwal.

The FSSAI has been working with Nestle India for setting up the institute at Manesar, where Nestle has its research and development centre, for the past seven months.

While this is the first such institute in India, Nestle already runs a similar institute each in China and Lausanne, Switzerland.

“Nestle can also help with its global expertise in areas of food science, which will help FSSAI in taking informed decisions while formulating regulations,” said Suresh Narayanan.

“Milestones are reached by companies at certain stages. For me this (opening up of the institute with FSSAI’s support) is a milestone for me and it reflects commitment of Nestle in India,” added Narayanan.

Nestle India, which launched 43 products after the Maggi crisis, is looking at consolidating its portfolio over the next 18-24 months. “Now we are in the process to see what is working and what is not working. We cannot support so many products going forward. What you need to do is to prioritise on what you need to focus on, and that core exercise is happening,” said Narayanan.

The company will focus on increasing penetration to ensure volume-led growth, he added.