As part of a global Nutrition, Health and Wellness positioning and commitment to provide consumers with a wider range of higher nutritional value products, Nestlé Malaysia has invested at total of RM100 million to enhance its technology and manufacturing facilities at its production complex in Shah Alam, Selangor.
Part of the investment is centred on the newly launched Air Dried Noodle Line which is an innovation in instant noodle-making technology. The proprietary air-dried technology, which is believed to be the first of its kind in the world, will offer consumers noodles which are not only great in taste, but also more nutritionally balanced.
The breakthrough technology, which air dries the noodles instead of frying them, can reduce fat content by more than 60 to 80 %, depending on the recipe. Sodium content is also significantly reduced by approximately 25%. This innovation in noodle-making will provide consumers with healthier instant noodle options which is in line with Nestlé’s nutrition, health and wellness direction as well as complement the Government’s efforts to encourage a healthier lifestyle for all Malaysians.
The new line is also a first for any Nestlé market globally, and the ‘Air Dried’ process is unique to Nestlé. An estimated 25% of MAGGI noodle products will be made using this new proprietary technology, and the new air dried noodle line will cater to the domestic and export markets such as Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.
The total RM100 million investment will also cover upgrades and renovations at Nestlé’s regional production complex at Shah Alam which manufactures infant cereals, NESCAFE® CLASSIC; NESTLÉ COFFEEMATE® and 3-in-1 beverage mixes.
Speaking at the launch of the new Air Dried Noodle Line, Chairman and CEO of Nestlé S.A. Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, who was in Malaysia for the occasion, said that Malaysia is a very important part of Nestlé’s global business, particularly in the manufacture of Halal products, as Nestlé Malaysia has the distinction of being both the largest producer of Halal products and the Centre of Excellence for Halal within the Group.
“At Nestlé, the consumer is at the heart of everything we do and we take our responsibilities seriously to ensure that we continue to provide consumers with the best quality and highly nutritious products regardless of where we are selling our products, and regardless of the price point at which we are selling them. We believe that those on lower incomes have as much right to high quality and nutritious food as those on higher incomes and in fact, have an even greater need. We understand that for the lower income group, their food spend is often not discretionary; but it is often all they can afford,” he added.
The Batu Tiga facility was established in 1970 to produce the MAGGI noodle range and its variants for the local market as well as for export to countries such as Singapore, UK, South Africa, Australia and the Middle East. In the early 1980s, the facilities were expanded to produce the MAGGI Cooking Aids range such as MAGGI Stock Cubes, Recipe Mixes, Soups and Porridge.
Today, MAGGI is the market leader in most of these categories, and more than 1.3 million packs of MAGGI 2-Minute Noodles are sold in Malaysia every day ~ equivalent to 13 packets for every second.
Brabeck-Letmathe also acknowledged the Government’s role in the success of Nestlé in Malaysia, adding “Today’s event marks an important step forward in our Malaysian and global operations, and is testament to our commitment to Malaysia. The success of Nestlé in Malaysia can be attributed to the Malaysian Government’s close collaboration with the private sector, offering competitive incentives for foreign direct investment which is aided by the favourable political climate in this country.”