LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Invented to solve hunger and help alleviate food shortage that girdled Japan following its surrender during World War II, instant noodles have become one of the indispensable food fad among Filipinos, whether urbanite or residing in the countryside.
And with accelerated pace of life in all regions in the Philippines, instant noodles have turned to be the latest addition to the fast food menu craze, becoming a regular item in daily fare of many Filipinos.
What bordered before as purely culinary of the Japanese and later adopted by the Chinese, instant noodles have caught the attention of Filipinos in a manner with Western food concoctions, such as hamburger, Italian pizza and other foods influenced by other cultures.
Whether you are in the local markets in La Trinidad and in other municipalities in Benguet or in Baguio City market, brisk sale of instant noodles widely indicates its success in a niche both in the palate and food budget of market-goers, particularly the low-income who make up bulk of the nation’s 106.7 million population.
In Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR), no matter how indigenously sophisticated the highland palate may be, any highlander worth his /her salt, will admit that on certain mornings, high noon, rainy afternoons or late evenings, there’s sometimes that mood to search for that packet of noodles secreted somewhere in a kitchen food shelf.
Easy to cook by boiling, it becomes that satisfying bowl of steaming squiggly noodles in a laden broth and enjoyed in a few minutes. Once can even throw away momentarily eating etiquettes and slurp the noodles for all your cares.
For that is how the Japanese and other Asian cultures demand in the way of eating the noodles. In Japan, it is not only acceptable but encouraged.
Such that for those highlanders suffering from a lousy hangover, a bowl of steaming instant noodles slurped right, as a sign of appreciation and enjoyment, may cure their splitting hangover headaches and ease the regurgitating stomach that refuses to accept anything – except the noodles.
In CAR, one can easily find restaurants offering a steaming bowl of Japanese ramen that can make one embark on a culinary journey of Japanese cuisine through oodles of noodles.
Instant noodles are consumed worldwide. They are among the most popular convenience foods consumers prefer globally due to their convenience, simplicity of preparation, relatively longer shelf life, range of flavors and reasonable cost.
Made of composite flour and incorporated with seasoning powder, the noodles are pre-cooked, dried and commercially packed which can be consumed after boiling the noodles for some minutes.
Main ingredients of instant noodles are flour, starch and salt. Consequently, these are high in carbohydrates and fat but lack essential food components or nutrients required in the daily human diet needs, like fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Still, print, radio and television advertisements touting the eating qualities of the many brands of instant noodles is indeed contributing to the socio-economic improvement effort in terms of making food more accessible to all Filipinos and in advancing economic growth.
Instant noodles market in the Philippines was estimated at USD 1,599 million in 2023 and is expected to hit USD 2,373 million by 2029.
A private-initiated study found that the instant noodle market in the Philippines was estimated to reach 1.16 billion US dollars by 2025, a 6.8 per cent growth from the estimated 832.2 million value in 2023.
Figures culled from the World Instant Noodles Association placed the Philippines instant noodles demand at 4.47 billion servings as of 2023, ranking the Philippines number 7 of the countries consuming instant noodles.
So, how did instant noodles or instant ramen (to be exact) came about? It was invented in 1958 by Momofuko Ando, a Japanese. Ando, in his bibliography, “The Story of the Invention of Instant Ramen,” recalled the time after the end of World War II when he walked the city of Osaka.
During that time, food shortage was severe. On the streets of Osaka, he saw long queues of people shivering in the cold and waiting for a bowl of ramen being distributed. Many were forced to stand and endure long lines in the biting cold to get something to eat.
With the pitiful scene embedded in his mind he swore, “Peace will come when people have food.” So he resolved to transform a food that was inexpensive, easy to prepare and nutritious.
Laboring in a shed just at the back of his house in Ikeda, Japan, Ando carried out trials of making, drying and flavoring noodles. Until he finally came up with a method of preparing noodles by incorporating chicken soup and frying the noodles. When Ando added hot water to the noodles, these moistened and released the chicken flavor.
Hence, the first bowl of instant noodles was ready for mass production. He named his company Ramen and Cup Noodles that came out with a variety of flavors like beef, shrimp and soy sauce.
Thereon, the Noodles Cup Noodles Museum was established in Osaka and Yokohama – as a result of perseverance and ingenuity. Ando shook off centuries of tradition that noodles did not necessarily be cooked fresh but could be dried, packaged and rehydrated. His small company became a 3 billion US dollars’ company.
One among the many sayings of Ando is relevant in today’s times was when he said, “Success is not an overnight achievement. It is the result of years of hard work, dedication and persistence.”
On a lighter note, Ando also came up with this quotation, “Mankind is noodlekind.” What he meant was, anyone can make noodles in their home and create their concoction of broth to the noodles.
Instant noodles that carry only the Sangkap Pinoy Seal are also included in Family Food Packs (FFP) distributed by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) during relief operation during vulnerable times like calamity, typhoon, disaster and other challenges that confront the populace during crisis period.
These FFPs include rice, canned goods, instant noodles, cereal drink, coffee, milk and other essentials designed to sustain a family for a matter of a few days and tide them over until they can stand on their own. These FFPs have been developed by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
These FFPs are pre-positioned by the government through the Local Government Units (LGUs), DSWD field offices and through vetted volunteers and partners. Selling, tampering or repacking of the government’s FFPs is illegal and constitutes a criminal act. DSWD stands firm against FFP repacking.
Those found guilty will be held liable and subject to penalties prescribed in Section 20 of the Philippine Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Act of 2010, Section 19 under Republic Act No.10121. Penalty can range from 6-12 years imprisonment.
But while Filipinos love to eat instant noodles, these being affordable, available and convenient, health experts from the Department of health – Cordillera Administrative Region (DOH-CAR) advised that eating instant noodles must be done sparingly since frequent consumption could lead to hypertension.
DOH-CAR has also urged parents to avoid feeding their young children with instant noodles and other processed foods.
Instant noodles may have the good intention to provide nutrition, they may even possess the micronutrient Sangkap Pinoy Seal, meaning they have been fortified, but if they are high in sodium, (a mineral and key component of salt) it’s going to be unhealthy for young children, adults as well as the elderly, DOH-CAR explained.
Based on a past study conducted on one of the famous noodles being sold in the Philippines, government nutritionists found these nutrition facts that of said famous instant noodle with: saturated fat 6g (30% Daily Value); Sodium, 680mg (28%); Total Fat 12g (18%); Total Carbohydrates 35g (12%); Protein 6g (12%); Fiber 2g; Sugar 3g (8%); and Iron, 4%).
Basically, government nutrition experts revealed instant noodles have high saturated fat, high sodium or monosodium glutamate. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends sodium intake per day must be limited to 5 grams per day to prevent cardiovascular diseases.
High saturated fat was explained as unhealthy dietary fat which can cause high blood pressure, high blood sugar levels and the risk of having diabetes, stroke and heart illnesses.
Immense sodium or salt, can cause stomach cancer if eaten solely for two years, Philippine government nutritionists warned, since instant noodles can trigger cancer cells in the body.
Which prompted the National Nutrition Council (NNC) to clarify that it cannot be ruled out that instant noodles don’t have nutritional value at all. But NNC had always prevailed on manufactures to reformulate their products, by pounding on them the maxim, “Huwag damihan ang kargang asin sa produktong instant noodles.”
Philippine manufacturers have been strongly advised they should instead incorporate in instant noodles vegetables like squash, carrots, malunggay and others including eggs.
On the other hand, the Philippine Government’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearly clarified instant noodles manufactured in the Philippines are safe to consume and even passed ethylene oxide levels allowed in Europe.
“The FDA wishes to clarify that all flavor variants of locally manufactured Lucky Me Instant Noodles, Pancit Canton Regular, Pancit Canton Extra Hot Chili, Pancit Canton Chilimansi, Instant Mami Beef or Chicken Regular, including Pancit Canton Kalamansi, pass the standard for ethylene oxide and are safe for consumption,” the FDA advisory stated.
FDA is always in close coordination with all instant noodles manufacturers to uphold compliance with health safety standards.
