Why Bollywood stars are tangled in the Maggi noodle scandal

Picking on celebrities is a cheap, diversionary tactic resorted to by politicians who would rather deflect public ire with sensational gimmicks than tackle the real – usually complex – problem.

Actress Madhuri Dixit in an advertisement for Maggi. Courtesy Maggi

The Maggigate controversy is unspooling rapidly, with India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority ordering Nestlé India to withdraw all its Maggi instant noodles from the market. Food inspectors discovered high levels of lead in packets of the product sold in New Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. A criminal complaint has been filed against the company, which is a subsidiary of the Swiss-based conglomerate Nestlé, and three Bollywood stars who have endorsed the product are facing the heat. A separate petition has been filed against superstar Amitabh Bachchan and actresses Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta, who could end up being arrested.

Last week, a Bihar court ordered the police to lodge a complaint against the stars after a local lawyer, Sudheer Kumar Ojha, claimed he fell ill after eating the noodles and blamed the stars for “misusing” their popularity to promote unsafe products. G Gurucharan, a top bureaucrat in the consumer affairs ministry added fuel to fire with his comment: “We have powers to take action against those involved in misleading advertisements.” And Delhi’s health minister, Satyender Kumar Jain, has said that the government will file a lawsuit against Nestlé India, alleging it violated local food laws.

At a press conference in Mumbai last week for his upcoming film Wazir, Bachchan opened up about the controversy. He said he would cooperate and pointed out that he no longer endorses the product.

“I haven’t received any notice yet,” said the 72-year-old star. “As soon as I get it, I will put it up to my lawyers. We will fully cooperate with whatever the law says. I also want to add that I stopped endorsing Maggi two years ago. I don’t endorse it anymore. I haven’t been associated with the product since then.”

While celebrities should be careful about the kind of products they promote, such as alcohol, tobacco and skin-lightening creams, they cannot be expected to test the items to see if the contents conform to the ingredients printed on the label. For example, Hollywood actor Leonardo DiCaprio has endorsed the Honda Civic. If the car were to be recalled for a manufacturing flaw, should he be held responsible? And why only punish the stars? Why not slap a case on the advertising company that produced the commercial?

A product that has been cleared for sale has presumably received the necessary approvals. Celebrities associated with it take it on faith that the government has done its job and that companies are following the law.

Picking on celebrities is a cheap, diversionary tactic that politicians resort to because it helps deflect public ire with sensational gimmicks rather than tackling the real – usually complex – problem.

It is also a tactic that small-town lawyers and magistrates employ to get their five minutes of fame. Name a star in a petition and the media flock to court, politicians bask in the limelight, and the public is happy that someone – anyone – is being held accountable.

But in this case, the celebrities are not at fault. The blame lies squarely with Nestlé India and the safety inspectors who are responsible for testing and regulating such products to protect the public. Going after regulators, however, is hard work and doesn’t lead to attention- grabbing headlines. The same goes for making an effort to enforce safe food practices and regulations – there are no brownie points attached to these, more arduous, options.

Some things in life have to be taken on trust, and this is exactly what those film stars did when they agreed to endorse a product as beloved as Maggi noodles.