Why comfort food and food safety never work together? Oh, why?

What is comfort food? To me it’s that soft, cuddly, happy feeling which, washes over you each time when you get a hug from your mother or loved one. And, it is said we need at least four such hugs from our loved ones every day to be actually happy.  However, in the real world more often than not it probably is, the one item in your larder and fridge which you should not reach out for. And a bite, a mouthful and a spoonful transports you to a world where nothing is wrong. It can be that candy bar, a special sweet from far away, exotic Turkey or nearby Chandni Chowk; it could be a platter full of buttery pasta or a plate full of cheesy bites, golden and deep fried. And up close it can be the convenience instant noodles whose aroma helps you to feel nice and dandy and you can face the day ,world with yet another smile, yet another cheerful phrase and feel as if you are on top of things? That’s a place where each mouthful of this miraculous, wonderous slurpy or al - dante sensation helps transport you and wash away all the blues. The now banned product has seen me through many, many ups and downs of life. But I still can’t figure why would an international FMCG brand won’t have their consumers’ health and welfare on their mandate and only focus on profits? Do they have to prove me right always that they have no scruples what so ever? What kind of responsible behaviour is that? Not an ethical one to say the least. It's worse that as an Advertising green horn I got the chance to handle the brand for close to two years. Learnt everything about marketing and advertising and communications per se from this period, but then that is another post all together. I am so deeply hurt. It is surely personal for me. 

Masala Oats Maggi: the supposedly healthier avatar

 Aren’t we all very familiar with the phrase – If it’s too good to be true, it probably is, right? Yes, that is what comfort food equates for a whole lot of us.  It was in Grade 8 when we were introduced to our very own Maggi. Nestle started the first known “catch them young” program even long before China thought about the Olympic winning strategy. Our very own Sarkar is yet understand what that actually means? Currently, we are involved in building our health quotient through Yoga and hospitals, health care for all and such can wait, like the Olympics have already been waiting for over a century now! Good thing is we will get good yoga instructors for our flat abs. Flat abs won't be a dream any more, empty ones can wait though! Anyway, let me not digress, let us be on course.

The marketing ploy made it an instant hit with the children. That was the first introduction to Maggi and a freebie, rest as they say is history. I fell in love and how! Sigh! Over the years it became a confidant, a friend, a magician, a lover and much more. The success of Nestle’s marketing strategy established this product in each and every household of the sub-continent. India has rightly banned the product, late but nevertheless the right move. It pains my heart to no end to see it go but I must let it go as I would like to get rid of other addictions. That way it has been easier compared to quit tobacco mission.

No matter how very health conscious you were there was a packet of instant noodles per se Maggi for that one rainy day! It was available with the tired mothers, who just have had enough with their children and calmed down the enfant terrible with a pack of Maggi; college goers who had no idea how to cook and lapped it up as it was affordable and needed no gourmet classes; new kids on the block climbing the corporate ladder who had no time; tired working class masses who had no money to go out and were at a point where they stopped caring. So, it has seen us through over the decades of 1980s to the present day. The testing of the noodles found the heavy metal Lead over permissible levels and a ban has been introduced on the product leaving Nestle in a lurch losing out the 80% market share in the category. Estimated the value of Maggi noodle stocks withdrawn from the shelves at 2.1bn rupees. Another 1.1bn rupees worth of Maggi stocks were in factories and with distributors, the company said. The total amounted to 3.2bn rupees’ worth (£32.3m/US$50.5 million).

Although lead has been in use since the Greco-Roman times but that it is toxic and poisonous is also true.  The story of anti-knock additive tetraethyl lead (TEL) to petrol will tell us all. The reason why we have unleaded petrol today.  Find it here

http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/old-debate-on-lead-rekindled/article7342984.ece

Leave a list of comfort foods of your choice if you wish and I will check how bad my addiction for Maggi has been. Cheerio!