Instant Noodle Soups
Cup Noodles - Japan's 4th Food Dimension
Instant noodles with a long tradition
Instant noodles first appeared in Japan in 1958 when Nissin Foods started selling "Chicken Ramen." Instant Noodles have become ubiquitous in Japan as an instant meal and have made inroads among young college students in the U.S. and elsewhere. Though only a small selection of instant noodles types are exported, within Japan there is wide range of such products and a constant seasonal turnover in brands means there is always something new to discover.
The Japanese Instant Food Association reports that the 2009 annual production volume of instant ramen amounted to some 3.35 billion units of cup noodles. The Japanese Agricultural Standards Association (JAS) lists 1,114 different noodle soup brands, an indication of rise of strong competition in this food category.
Japan's ramen czar Nissin: leading in all categories
JMR recently surveyed the instant noodle market using a list of 26 brands of cup noodles. Based on consumer responses to an internet conducted by JMR the results are ranked here for items such as "I know this brand" (recognition rate), " I bought this brand before" (purchase experience), and "I want to buy the brand again", showing the customer's re-purchase intention, i.e. their level of satisfaction.
In the rankings below, Nissin Foods' "Cup Noodle" led all three categories, having the largest share in category " product purchased" holding an almost 30 percent points led over "Chicken Ramen", also made by Nissin, that held the second place spot. In the "re-purchase intention" category, "Zeitaku Mentatsu" (Engl. Luxury Noodles), also a Nissin product ranked second and third followed by Toyo Suisan's "Shiki Monogatari" (Engl. Four Seasons) ranked fourth. Both products were relatively new and their market shares are expected to grow in the future. Nissin's "Zeitaku Mentatsu" brand was established as a low calorie non-fried noodle product and Toyo Suisan's Shiki Monogatari ("four seasons") changes its flavor with every season.
Non-fried and low-price products on the rise
Low-priced products instant noodles such as those sold at convenience store Seven and I's "Seven Premium" and Lawson's "Value Lawson" gained enormously when compared to the last year. In the 2009 survey, in regard to re-purchase intention, Seven Premium ranked 20th while this year it grabbed 7th place, followed by "Lawson Premium" at 8th.
As an overall trend, low-price products such as Seven Eleven's and Lawson's store brands gained in popularity on the back of consumers' being more frugal, while big name brands such as Nissin or Toyo Suisan focus on healthier non-fried and low calorie products in order to push consumers' health conscious buy-button.
JMR's 2010 Internet Survey: Cup Noodles
click picture to enlarge
| All companies surveyed: |
| Product Name |
Company |
| Cup Noodle |
Nissin Foods |
| Cup Noodle Lite |
Nissin Foods |
| Chicken Ramen |
Nissin Foods |
| Futomen Doudou |
Nissin Foods |
| Zeitaku Mentatsu |
Nissin Foods |
| Sapporo Ichiban |
Sanyo Shokuhin |
| Sapporo Ichiban Cup Star |
Sanyo Shokuhin |
| Ippeichan |
Myojo Foods |
| Chiiki no Meiten |
Myojo Foods |
| Kanton no Meiten |
Myojo Foods |
| Home Run Ken |
Table Mark |
| Kim-chan Noodle |
Tokushima Seihun |
| Yakibuta Ramen |
Tokushima Seihun |
| Super Cup 1.5 |
Ace Cook |
| Iroha Tei |
Ace Cook |
| Peyoung Noodle |
Maruka Foods |
| Mendukuri |
Toyo Suisan |
| Mukashi Nagara no Chuka Soba |
Toyo Suisan |
| Curry-na Kyouen |
Toyo Suisan |
| Shinni Touryuu |
Toyo Suisan |
| Shiki Monogatari |
Toyo Suisan |
| Honten no Aji |
Sugakiya |
| Seven Premium's Cup Ramen |
Seven Premium |
| Top Value's Cup Ramen |
Top Value |
| Value Lawson's Cup Ramen |
Value Lawson |
| Y100 Shop Cup Ramen |
Shop 99, Daiso etc. |
