List of instant noodle brands
Instant noodles are a popular food in many parts of the world, undergoing changes in flavor to fit local tastes.
[44] The most popular manufacturer of instant noodles in Australia is San Remo Macaroni Company, whose Fantastic and Suimin brands hold a 30% market share.
[48] Cantonese people have a long history of cooking yi mein, a noodle invented in the Qing Dynasty.
[51] Most supermarkets offer a broad selection of both domestic and international brands, including Shin Ramyun of South Korea, Nissin Chikin and Demae Itcho of Japan, Indomie of Indonesia, Koka of Singapore, and Mama of Thailand.
Other brands of instant noodles in the country include Patanjali Ayurved, Ching's Secret, Knorr, Sunfeast Yippee, Top Ramen, Indomie, Joymee, Nissin, Maruchan, Horlicks, Wai Wai, Yumiraa Instant Noodle and several domestic and regional names.
[60][61] According to WINA, Indonesia is the world's second largest instant noodle market after China, with demand reaching 12.54 billion servings in 2018.
In 1994, these brands (as well as factories) were merged into Indofood Sukses Makmur, one of the largest instant noodle producer in the world.
[63] At least twenty instant noodle companies compete in the Indonesian market, with Indofood, Wings Group, Olagafood, ABC Holding, Jakarana Tama (Gaga and Arirang), Mayora, Lemonilo (Unifam), Tiptop, and Suprama thriving in the top nine.
Strong local preferences contribute to the low volume of sales of Japanese and other foreign instant noodles in Indonesia.
[65] Although originally targeted at families eating at home, nowadays instant noodles are also served in warung (simple shops).
[64] Japan is the country of origin of instant noodles, and the dish remains a "national" light food.
[69] The leading manufacturer of ramyeon in South Korea is Nong Shim ([農心], literally "Farmer's Heart"), which exports many of its products overseas.
[70] In 2004, over 600,000 boxes of Shin Ramyun were sent to North Korea as part of the aid relief program when the Ryongchŏn train station exploded, injuring many people.
Around 1985, Chaudhary Groups[73] entered the market with Wai-Wai, a Thai brand of instant noodles, which became a big hit.
[74] Over the years, the popularity of instant noodles has grown and consist of a major part of the dry foods sold in Nepal.
[80] There are three prominent brands of instant noodles in Pakistan:[81] Nestlé's Maggi was the first to enter the market in 1992, followed by Knorr of Unilever in 1993; in 2012, Shan Food Industries introduced "Shoop".
[83] A year later, Zest-O Corporation also introduced their own instant noodle brand, Quickchow in 1990,[84] followed by Payless in 1995 and Ho-Mi in 2002.
The noodle packages contained pouches of flavored soup base, spicy oil, dried vegetables, or even minuscule shrimps.
His Vifon brand holds a 35% share of the Polish instant soup market, selling over 100 million packages a year.
Ngoc Tu Tao has appeared in Wprost magazine's annual ranking of the 100 most wealthy Polish citizens.
In Russia, like most noodle products, they are still considered a lesser-quality option to turn to in lean economic times and are popular among college students.
According to statistics from the International Ramen Manufacturers Association, Taiwan is the world's twelfth-largest instant noodle market, with an annual NT$10 billion (US$300 million) in sales.
[44] MAMA got its start in 1972 as a joint venture between Taiwan's President Enterprise and Thailand's Saha Pathanapibul PLC.
Thai people consume an average of 45 packs of noodles per person per year, fourth in the world after Indonesia, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
[112] Bigger supermarkets also sell foreign brands, such as Nissin, Koka noodles, and Shin Ramyun, which once could only be found in Asian groceries.
Larger retail chains may offer their own brand in basic packaging and a variety of flavours, e.g., Asda, Maggi.
[citation needed] Today in the U.S., instant noodles are commonly known as "ramen", after the Japanese dish on which they were originally based, and they come in a variety of flavors such as beef, chicken, and shrimp.
[citation needed] According to research by Michael Gibson-Light, a doctoral candidate at the University of Arizona School of Sociology, in the US prison system, by 2016 ramen packets had become a form of commodity currency, comprising a mainstay of the informal economy there and supplanting cigarettes.
