Leading food and beverage company, Nestle Nigeria is set to re-launch its Maggi ‘Cook for Mama’ competition which it had suspended for one year. Nestle managing director; Martin Woolnough said at a media briefing on Wednesday in Lagos, that the company was set to stage the competition this year. He said that entries would be received until April 10 after which draws would be held to pick contestants at five locations- Lagos, Benin, Kaduna, Enugu and Jos.

Would be participants are also to include why they think their mothers are special in their entries and would have to attach details of a rice recipe of their choice with a fruit dessert.

On why the competition did not hold last year, Maggi Brand manager, Uduak Bassey said that the company had been exploring other promotional ideas to help grow the 43-year old seasoning brand. The Maggi ’Cook for Mama’ competition targets the teenage segment,13-17 year olds, and is based on exploiting the emotional bond between a growing teenage children and their mothers.

Bassey says teenage children are being “urged to do something for mama”, through the competition, and in other ways, too. She says too, that “Maggi remains the number one seasoning brand in Nigeria.” And one evidence of this, according to her, is that Maggi now has zero stock of expired products,”we sell all that we push out.”

Prizes in the ‘Cook for Mama’ competition are laptop computers ,set of dishes, an i-pod,N150,000 and Maggi hampers for first positions, portable DVD players,dishes,N100,000 and Maggi hampers for second place, while third place winners get mobile phones ,i-pod, set of dishes and N50,000.

There are other consolation prizes including the Maggi hamper for participants. Schools of winners also get prizes such as deep freezers and gas cookers from Nestle.