Wai Wai maker CG Foods set to cut salt by 10-25%: CEO
CG Foods, which makes India's third-largest instant noodles brand Wai Wai, is for the first time, reducing salt in its noodles by anywhere between 10% and 25% starting next quarter with select variants, Manvendra Amber Shukla, global chief executive officer of CG Foods, owned by Nepal-based diversified CG Corp Global, said in an interview.
The move comes amid tighter regulation and heightened scrutiny on packaged foods. «What the government is doing (in terms of regulation) is definitely welcome; it is positive for consumers, and positive for the ecosystem and a responsibility of all organisations towards consumers,» he said.
The salt reduction process will start with the spicier packs of Wai Wai, according to Shukla. «In India, starting next quarter, we will start the first phase of reduction of salt by 10% starting with spicy noodles. As we move forward, we will reduce salt up to 25% in other variants of our portfolio,» he said. Additionally, the group is working on plans to introduce healthier variants such as millet noodles and renewing focus on atta noodles.
Wai Wai was formally launched in India two decades back by CG Foods, owned by Nepalese billionaire Binod Chaudhary. Prior to that, the brand was being imported.
Shukla said in financial year 2024-25, the group is targeting 15% growth, focusing on larger packs of '15 and above, and expanding nationally beyond core geographies such as the Northeast. «We are in leadership position in some segments in the Northeast; we want to take the leadership to other
