Me Maggi and Madhuri

Maggi seems to be the newsmaker of the week and of the last few weeks. This product of Nestle is more than just a brand to many Indians and I am one of them. Maggi is a name that triggers a lot of fond memories of our childhood, hostels, canteens and offices. It’s an icon of nostalgia.

Maggi- Its sight, smell and taste are reminders of happy days bygone. It was the first and only noodles known to us much before all the other brands and dishes of instant and not-so-instant noodles found their place on the racks of supermarkets and the menu cards of restaurants. Maggi is an emotion – a concoction of the feelings of love, laughter, friendship and even rivalry on who gets the greater share. The once-a-month Maggi treat sanctioned by our mom was something that my sister and I used to look forward to during our school days. Maggi is the first (and maybe only) dish that many of us learned to “cook”. There will be quite a number of us who have thanked God for creating this Manna because there have been several occasions when Maggi was the sole savior to combat the midnight hunger pangs, especially when staying in hostels. Maggi is the first thing that gave me the concept of time (albeit wrong) – the two minutes that was way too long. It was much later that I realized that the actual “two minutes” is much shorter.

Now, when Maggi is in trouble, allegedly being unhealthy and dangerous, it is as if a best friend is in trouble, accused of some wrong-doing. It’s a testing time for all Maggi fans. We can always stand by our friend, but can never support the wrong deed.

Along with Maggi, another beloved of mine is in trouble. That is Madhuri Dixit – an artist I admire. An actor par excellence. A wonderful dancer. Her enthralling foot movements and unmatched grace and expressions are a visual feast to devour any day. A complete package of beauty, talent and hard work. Add to that the decorum she observes and the grandeur she exudes and that’s why I respect this lady. To this day, any movie or song of Madhuri Dixit glues me to the television just to see her and her smile. “Her smile should be enough to solve all problems” was what my friend commented when we discussed the problem that has befallen her. 

Maggi and Madhuri are both reminders of my good old school days, although they were not connected at that time. Recently the two got associated with each other and have now landed in trouble. For those who don’t know the story yet, the following details are for you. Madhuri Dixit became the brand ambassador for Maggi noodles and was also the model for the advertisement of the same. A few days back it was found that samples of Maggi collected from some parts if U.P. contained added Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) and lead in excess to permissible levels. As per news reports FSDA (Food Safety and Drug Administration) has initiated inquiry and has asked FSSAI (Food Standards and Safety Authority of India) to cancel the license of Maggi Noodles.

As much as I like Maggi and the memories associated, I do not support or justify the product if it is harmful to the users. However, one needs to know that MSG is not something that one has to panic about. It is the sodium salt of glutamic acid and occurs naturally in tomatoes, mushrooms,  and even potatoes. This is that which lends the distinctive flavor to tomato and soy sauce-the flavor termed as “umami” –the fifth flavor after sweet, salty, bitter and sour. Beyond a level, this MSG can be harmful as can be many other ingredients like salt, sugar and fats. Higher consumption of MSG is believed to cause palpitation, headache, nausea etc termed as the “Chinese Restaurant Syndrome”. Consumption of MSG at high levels may lead to dementia and cancer is what some researchers say. At the same time, there have been also been reports saying that MSG is not as harmful as being made to believe and linking cancer to MSG is based on anecdotal evidences. That MSG tolerance for different individuals is different is also to be noted. Presence of lead in this food item has to be taken seriously if it is beyond certain permissible level and reports obtained so far from different sources vary in the levels of MSG and lead.

After reading varied views on MSG and its health aspects I am now confused. We can leave it for the experts to decide and pass a verdict as to whether Maggi is harmful or not. I do not intend to debate on that here. The rest of what I have to say is based on the worst assumption that Maggi IS indeed harmful. Then the decision of the authorities to cancel the license of Maggi would be a welcome move.

What is incomprehensible, though, is the legal action to be taken against the Bollywood stars Madhuri Dixit, Amitabh Bachan and Preity Zinta for endorsing the product. A lawyer has filed a suite stating that with that advertisement Madhuri Dixit has “misled” the public. In this context, a few doubts arise in my mind which I list below.

How can the model be held “responsible” for the product? If they are talking about cancelling the license of Maggi, that implies that the brand currently HAS a license. Is it wrong on the part of the brand ambassador/model to endorse a product which has a license? Is he /she supposed to make enquiries about the quality of the product when the license granted confirms the quality? Whose job is it to check the quality of these products? The model? The Brand Ambassador? The advertising agency? Or the government agencies? Isn’t there any mechanism for the quality testing of products that reach the market or is that left for model to do? If there is indeed a government mechanism to do the quality check which results in the license, what is the issue in endorsing a product that has successfully “passed the test”? If on a later occasion, the product is found to be harmful whose fault is that? Somehow my logic fails to see that the brand ambassador should be held responsible for the quality of the product. All one can expect him or her to possess is the moral obligation to society regarding the product they endorse, and this, I am afraid, is a subjective matter.

Agreed that Maggi noodles, or any other noodles for that matter, is not a healthy choice of food. Neither are the other fast food items (again containing MSG and God knows what else!) and all the aerated drinks like coca cola and pepsi. Even the street food contain MSG as taste enhancers. Coca cola, apparently is equivalent to toilet cleaning lotion (saw that on some social networking site). So, are all the brand ambassadors/models endorsing these food and drinks going to be sued as well? If YES, then as a better option, why don’t we first ban these products? If NOT, then why only Madhuri  Dixit and Amitabh Bachan? The issue, I think, boils down the question: Is the focus on suing the wrongdoers or on banning the products and thus saving humanity? Who the wrongdoers are is also a relevant question under this context where all these potentially harmful products are in market for public consumption after quality checking by government agencies and come with a stamp of approval on them. Also, I cannot help wondering if the same legal action would be taken if the model was a lesser known person. Is it not the jealousy and sadist mentality of a few human beings that is behind this legal action against celebrities?

Recently, I got a forwarded message on WhatsApp, apparently from the Prime Minister of India. He exhorts the people to shun foreign products like Coca cola and Pepsi and go for options like tender coconut, lemon juice and sugar cane juice. The reason stated is not the health aspect but the economy aspect. If at least 10% of the coke drinkers switch to desi drinks, we will be depriving the Americans of 7000 crores USD each day and helping the farmers of our country to prosper, says the message. I do not know if the statistics are right or if the message itself is from the PM. I am left with a doubt, all the same. Why don’t we just ban those drinks and save the economy of the country and the lives of the people here. Even if we do boycott all these drinks and go for fruit juices, who will ensure that the fruits are free of pesticides and artificial ripening agents? So, where is the safety at the end of all this?

I am no economist, politician or corporate person and hence I do not understand the double standards here.  The authorities do not think twice before banning the supply of eggs to undernourished kids of Madhya Pradesh, solely on religious grounds. Then why not ban these harmful products rather than sue the brand ambassadors?

It may also be noted that it is not just the food products that are harmful. Most of the cosmetics also contain harmful ingredients. Even the electronic gadgets pose long term harm to the human generation. Banning all these products is not practical, I agree. So, do we sue the brand ambassadors of these products? Then half the Bollywood will be behind court cases. 

We cannot stay away from all these products forever. Wise choices and judicious usage is the key to the problem. Regular quality testing at each stage is important and the product, whatever be it, should be banned if the usage leads to lethal conditions. In other cases, the consequences of the usage of the product should be clearly stated on the package. Once license is given to a company for the manufacture of a product, it is the responsibility of the government agencies to ensure that appropriate statutory warnings are issued. Next step is to create awareness of all this among the public. This must be done as part of the school curriculum and through popular media. That is what a responsible government should do.

All this said, I must highlight that the responsibility does not lie with the government alone. The public, which includes you and me, should be responsible for their actions and choices. If, after all these warnings and awareness programme, people still consume these products then the responsibility is theirs too. We cannot even state reasons like illiteracy or ignorance  for this behavior of people as the consumption of fast food, drinks, cosmetics are majorly among the educated and well-informed lot. It is sheer negligence. It is high time we take up responsibility for our choices. If after all this discussion I go and eat Maggi or sip coke (which I might do), then that is solely and purely MY fault and not Madhuri’s. 

Picture Courtesy:

https://www.maggi.in/maggi_goodies.aspx

sharespark.net

indianexpress.com

http://www.indiantelevision.com