In Kuala Lumpur
Instant noodles can save the world.
As unlikely as it sounds, that's what the top instant noodle makers in the world are aspiring towards, after they ended a two-day conference at the 7th World Instant Noodles Summit in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday.
Portable, easy-to-cook, cheap and durable, instant noodles could be the part of the answer to food shortage and world hunger, say the members of the World Instant Noodles Association (WINA), who represent 50 major instant noodle companies from around the world.
Their lofty ambition is not without basis. Instant noodles are already part of food relief efforts to natural disaster zones worldwide, WINA chairman Koki Ando pointed out.
Chairman of the World Instant Noodles Association Koki Ando speaks at the 7th World Instant Noodle Summit in Kuala Lumpur. -- PHOTOS: AP
Speaking to reporters, the chief executive of Japanese instant noodle giant Nissin Foods Holdings said that 1.8 million servings of instant noodles were dispatched to these areas in the last two years.
The noodles, usually in shipments of 100,000 to 200,000 packets, travelled to places like Haiti, Padang and Sichuan, often arriving within 48 hours. Helpers are sometimes on hand to help cook the noodles for the disaster victims as well.
By improving their distribution channels, Mr Ando feels that instant noodles can go out to more places and truly fulfill its ambition of being a "world food".
A man picks up a package of Maggi instant noodle made of whole wheat manufactured by Nestle Malaysia at the 7th World Instant Noodle Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
Asia currently propels the global instant noodle market - estimated to be worth some US$25 billion - with an 80 per cent share. The continent's history of eating noodles is part of the reason why it is more popular here.
If instant noodles truly go global, Mr Ando would be continuing the legacy started by his father Momofuku, who invented instant noodles - basically dried noodles fused with oil - in 1958.
From those humble beginnings, the world today chomps through some 92 billion servings of instant noodles (led by China, who contribute to about half of that) a year. Mr Ando reckons it won't be long before they break the 100 billion mark.
But to do that, they also have to win over an increasingly health-conscious public, many of whom see instant noodles as a snack best consumed sparingly.
Changing the unhealthy image of instant noodles is one of the top challenges that faces the industry, WINA acknowledged.
A man picks up a Nissin "Light" cup noodle manufactured in Japan at the 7th World Instant Noodle Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
It said it is committed to cutting down on the sodium content of instant noodles - but manufacturers add that this will have to be done slowly.
"Many consumers like the current taste, so we can't be too dramatic," said Mr Ando.
The next Instant Noodles World Summit takes place in 2012 in China.