Making a comeback after five months, Maggi noodles are witnessing explosive sales this Diwali, with as many as 500 people placing online orders for it every minute
Here’s a Diwali sale with a difference: if you can’t find Maggi noodles at the local supermarket, you can now register for it online and get a few freebies to boot.
ADVERTISEMENT
Also Read: Maggi back on Indian shelves after five months
Maggi noodles are back on the shelves five months after they were banned for allegedly containing lead beyond permissible levels. Pic/PTI
Five months after it disappeared off shelves, Maggi finally made a comeback on Monday, but it is on the online marketplace Snapdeal that sales have been particularly explosive, with upto 500 people per minute registering to buy the noodles.
“The response to Maggi’s comeback has been phenomenal. At the peak, we saw over 500 registrations per minute today. We will start shipping Maggi out from November 12,” said a spokesperson from Snapdeal, which has limited stock of the noodles.
Snapdeal saw as many as 500 people registering per minute for the Maggi 'welcome kit'
In a statement, Nestle said: ‘This partnership with Snapdeal will strengthen our ability to reach Maggi Noodles to our consumers across India.’
The ban
In June, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had found Maggi noodles unsafe for human consumption.
The product was banned across the nation, but the Bombay High Court lifted this ban in August. The HC had then instructed the state to conduct fresh tests, after which it was found that the noodles were safe to eat.
Read Story: Maggi clears all tests; Nestle to start sale in November
“More than 2,700 samples of Maggi noodles have been tested by laboratories in India and abroad in recent months, and each test confirmed the level of lead to be ‘far below permissible limits’,” said a statement released by Nestle earlier.
Comeback
The noodles will now return to the market in phases, and is currently available in select stores in the city. However, those who have been unable to get their hands on a packet can turn to Snapdeal, which has tied up with Nestle to offer a special welcome kit to noodle aficionados.
The noodles are being sold in what is called the flash sales format, also known as the ‘deal of the day’, in which a website offers a single product for sale for a limited period of time.
Also Read: Maharashtra to move SC against HC order lifting ban on Maggi
Potential customers have to register to avail the deal. Registrations for this kit of 12 packs of noodles, along with freebies, will close as Diwali comes to an end, by 11 pm tonight. Dinesh R Honaje, a college student, was among the several people who registered for the welcome kit.
“I am a Maggi lover, and after it has passed various tests, I find no reason to not to trust the noodles,” he said. However, a few people, particularly mothers, still seemed reluctant to buy the product due to the earlier ban.