My cup of noodles

During the Holy Week fasting period, my thoughts were on instant noodles. Not because I was feeling hunger pangs from fasting, but because I was impressed by the noodles’ popularity despite their junk-food-level nutritional value.

Instant noodles are comfort food for millions of people. I know a Taiwanese travel agent who takes her favorite “cup noodle” with her wherever she goes in the world.

Considering the global popularity of the product, it’s intriguing that food processors are only now seriously moving to make instant noodles healthier.

Earlier this year, Manila hosted the 11th World Instant Noodles Association (WINA) Summit, hosted by Japanese noodle giant Monde Nissin Corp. I had wanted to write about it, but the topic was shunted aside by the tumult over Rodrigo Duterte’s turnover to the International Criminal Court.

Who knew there was such an organization? But I guess if there are global organizations for commodities such as wine and chocolate, why not instant noodles?

The most notable story that emerged from the summit was the commitment of WINA members to develop healthier noodles.

Mitsuru Tanaka, Nissin Foods Holdings managing executive officer, described it as a “challenger target” set by WINA, an association founded in 1997.

WINA members mentioned the possible tweaking of instant noodles’ salt, sugar, fat and starch content – triggers for blood sugar spikes and hypertension. They should include monosodium glutamate content, whose effects folks like me with MSG sensitivity can instantly feel crawling up our nape upon consumption of a vetsin-laden cup noodle.

Public health regulators in many countries began cracking down on sugar content in soft drinks decades ago. So why did it take so long for instant noodle producers to have this epiphany?

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Nissin instant noodles are pricier than other brands with similar products, but still popular. It’s probably the advantage of being the pioneer. Japanese businessman Momofuku Ando (born Go Pek-Hok in Taiwan), founder of Nissin Food Products Co. Ltd., invented instant noodles, with “Chikin Ramen” rolled out commercially way back in August 1958. Nissin also launched the first cup noodle in 1971.

Do you know that a Nissin cup noodle went to the space shuttle Discovery and International Space Station in July 2005? Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi brought Nissin’s “Space Ram” (short for ramen) to the ISS and ate it. The shorter noodles with more viscous broth didn’t fly all over the space station in microgravity. Noguchi’s verdict: the stuff tasted quite similar to cup noodles on Earth.

I learned this when I visited the Cupnoodle Museum set up by Nissin Foods Group in Yokohama – incidentally the birthplace of Noguchi.

Museums in Japan are wonderfully designed, combining tradition and cutting-edge technology for a fun-filled, interactive learning experience.

It helped that I am one of the gazillion people on the planet who love the instant noodles of Asia – filling but not as heavy as western pasta, umami-packed, easy to prepare and consume, and best of all affordable.

My brand preference has lately shifted to South Korean noodles, mostly because I love jjajang (black bean paste flavoring), and because they seem to have less or zero MSG. Other members of my household like Indonesian-style brands.

Makers of non-instant noodles are ahead in producing healthier products. Locally we have canton noodles that incorporate malunggay or moringa leaves and squash. For umami, instead of increasing the MSG, producers have come up with squid ink noodles (nice black color, although bland taste).

I’ve written about my new favorite glass noodle or sotanghon brand, made by the South Koreans from 100 percent sweet potato or kamote starch. It’s a low-glycemic alternative to rice and potato flour normally incorporated into pea and mung beans used for making traditional sotanghon.

We have so many local varieties of bland kamote. Why don’t we process them into flour and produce healthier noodles? For eating steamed, boiled or sweetened kamote, we can propagate the much sweeter varieties from Japan and China.

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The question is whether our local instant noodle makers will also be producing healthier products. In terms of flavor, aroma and affordability, they give the foreign competition a run for their money. When someone prepares a cup of Lucky Me batchoy flavor, the aroma is overwhelming and inviting.

Will Lucky Me be able to offer the same taste and aroma if it cuts down on salt and MSG?

The World Health Organization noted in February this year that too much sodium is being consumed worldwide, raising risks for high blood pressure, which in turn raises the risks for cardiovascular disease, gastric cancer, obesity, osteoporosis, kidney afflictions and Meniere’s disease.

The WHO recommends less than 2,000 milligrams of salt daily for adults, or about one teaspoon. A 65-gram pack of Lucky Me Bulalo Instant Noodles contains 2,070 mg of sodium.

In 2023, the Philippines was the seventh largest market for WINA. In that same year, Lucky Me was the most popular instant noodle brand among Filipinos, according to tracking by Kantar consultancy.

The WINA summit focused on four “pillars”: food safety, nutrition, sustainability and social responsibility. Pursuing those pillars is not as simple as it seems.

For example, the pillars include the use of environment-friendly packaging. This has long been a challenge in the effort to provide nutritious and flavorful food with fuss-free preparation at the lowest cost to make products that can be accessible even to the poorest segments of the population.

So it’s good to see the instant noodle makers committing to meet the challenges. I’m sure I’m not the only one eager to see the results.