Abstract

The case discusses the challenges faced by Luca Fichera, Executive Vice-President (Supply Chain) of Nestlé India Limited (Nestlé), in dealing with the mandatory recall of Maggi noodles imposed on the company by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). Luca and his team faced a daunting task in completing the reverse distribution exercise of 400 million Maggi noodles packets in a country the size of India with all the complexities involved and that too within a very short planning horizon. The case helps students understand the structure of reverse and closed-loop supply chain and the challenges relating to the collection, transportation, warehousing, and disposal of the products.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Identify issues in reverse supply chain operations for fast-moving consumer goods in India.
• Discuss shortfalls in the structure of a forward supply chain in supporting product recall.
• Develop a suggested structure of reverse supply chain.
• Analyze and distinguish between forward and reverse supply chain structures and concerns.
• Explore key factors for planning a reverse supply chain management operation during a crisis.

Keywords

Reverse Supply Chain; Recall; Reverse logistics; Disposal of Food products; Closed-Loop Supply Chain; Disposal process; Forward supply chain