Lesser known instant noodle brands have been quick to respond to the absence of the biggies
In marketing parlance, retail stores give brands “the moment of truth”, or to put it in simpler words, the most important marketing opportunity for the brand to rise and shine in the consumer’s eyes.
Traditionally, brands put up attractive point of purchase (POP) displays to get the attention of customers at the retail point or displayed their products in the most attractive way they could. But the recent Maggi crisis has given way to a new mode of marketing – certificate-marketing. Now, some brands in the Rs. 3,000-crore instant noodle space display their product’s health certificate, that too on the racks of retail stores.
Last month, the FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) directed Nestle India, the makers of Maggi instant noodles to “withdraw and recall all the nine approved variants of its Maggi Instant Noodles from the market having been found unsafe and hazardous for human consumption and stop further production, processing, import, distribution and sale of the said product with immediate effect.” Since then, even other brands like Hindustan Unilever’s Knorr Chinese Instant Noodles and Indo Nissin’s Top Ramen Noodles have been withdrawn from the market. Top Ramen was the third largest brand in the category after Maggi and ITC’s Sunfeast Yippee, in that order.
The flurry of activity in the last month has made the small players make a dash for shelf space in retail stores. One such player is Inbisco India, which markets the Joymee brand of instant noodles. In a communication to its trade partners, the brand claims to have become “an instant hit due to the special fried onion toppings”.
What makes Joymee’s retail strategy stand out from its competitors selling instant noodles is the fact that the brand has put up laminated “product quality certificates” in the rack where the instant noodles are sold. The certificate mentions that lead content in the masala of the noodles is well below permissible limits.
In a note to its trading partners, Joymee also notes that “no MSG is added in the Joymee Noodles product” although the pack makes no such claims. Despite repeated attempts, company executives were unavailable for comment.
Probably Joymee has decided to play safe with consumers as the FSSAI had directed Nestle India to rectify its label and remove the words “No added MSG” in order to comply with the related labelling regulations. According to the FSSAI order, MSG occurs naturally in ingredients such as hydrolysed vegetable protein, autolysed yeast, hydrolysed yeast, yeast extract, soya extracts, and protein isolate, as well as in tomatoes and cheese which sometimes form a part of the seasoning sachets.
“While FDA requires that these products be listed on the ingredient panel, the agency does not require the label to also specify that they naturally contain MSG. However, foods with any ingredient that naturally contains MSG cannot claim “No MSG” or “No Added MSG” on their packaging. MSG also cannot be listed as ‘spices and flavouring’”, says the FSSAI order.
To be one up on the competition, including some of the brands that are temporarily missing from the shelf, Joymee offers some value additions to the instant noodles preparation process as we know it. Apart from the sachet of seasoning that most instant noodles makers offer, Joymee also provides “fried onion toppings”. Will Joymee go on to create a niche for itself in the market, or will the return of the giants relegate it to the shadows? Only time will tell.
With inputs from K Raghavendra Rao and K Ram Kumar
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