Historically, instant noodles are a commodity food for developing countries. It is a very convenient food as it is a cheap alternative meal. Although consumers worry about instant noodles being unhealthy as it lacks nutrition and contains preservatives, but they are easily convinced by the wide range of tastes available. Among the most popular tastes in the region, we have mi goreng original flavor, mi goreng barbecue chicken instant noodles, Chapagetti Chajang Noodle and Shin Noodle Ramyun. Among the new growing flavors, we can find instant noodles containing herbs, soy sauce or even seafood, that has always been an important segment in the region.
APAC’s new product launches’ main claims
According to a Mintel survey from 2021, Japan has the highest new product launch, followed by Malaysia and South Korea. The top claims among those new product launches are the convenience of instant noodles. That is to say, the average time spent to prepare the meal, which needs to be as quick as possible. Then, consumers want it to be Halal, even more, without animal products if possible. And finally, they are very sensitive to ethically produced ingredients for environment concerns. Over the past few years, there are other emerging positionings such as high fiber, high protein, vegan or even low fat.
The premiumization trend
One main trend regarding instant noodles in the premiumization. Premiumization is consumers’ wish for healthier food. In other words, they are looking for more natural ingredients. To meet consumers’ expectations, some companies decided to go for naturalness in instant noodles with no artificial colorings, flavorings and more. In fact, there were also other companies fortifying the instant noodles with vitamins or minerals to make them nutritious. Most recently, manufacturers were replacing flour by wholegrain for the noodles to claim it as a healthier formulation.
If we had to summarize consumers expectations in one concept, it would be “clean label”. The perfect ingredients that food manufacturers are looking for are tasty, natural, healthy and animal-free.
If you wish to obtain some key market data for instant noodles in Asia Pacific,
