Noodle summit to cook up agenda for the next century
Noodle summit to cook up agenda for the next century
The world's major instant noodle manufacturers are gearing up to face the demands of a new millennium with the opening on Thursday of the Second World Ramen Summit in Denpasar, Bali.
Grouped in the International Ramen Manufacturers Association (IRMA), the companies will gather at the International Convention Center at the Nusa Dua Resort to discuss improving the marketability and quality of noodles, already a staple for many of the world's peoples.
The event is organized by the Indonesian Food and Beverage Association (GAPMMI) and the Indonesian Marketing Association (IMA).
Nine companies -- among them Campbell Soup Company, Indonesia's Indofood, industry pioneer Nissin and Nestle S.A. of Switzerland -- founded IRMA two years ago in conjunction with the Japan Convenience Food Industry Association. The first summit was held in Tokyo, Japan.
About 135 participants, including founding members Indofood -- the world's largest noodlemaker -- Nissin and Nestle are scheduled to participate in this year's summit.
A keynote address will be delivered by Momofuku Ando, the man credited with inventing instant noodles. Mr. Ando, now in his 90th year, is the head of the board of directors of Nissin Food Products Co. Ltd., the company he founded in 1948.
The choice of Bali is particularly appropriate because Indonesia is second only to China in demand for, and production of, instant noodles.
'Halal' Standard
On the summit's agenda will be submission of the halal proposal to Codex Alimentarius Standard, the Rome-based body which sets global food product standards. It operates under the Food and Agricultural Organization and World Health Organization.
The latter is currently drafting international hygiene and food standards for noodles.
It is of particular concern to Indonesia's more than 200 million population, roughly 90 percent of which is Muslim, which must take pains to ensure the elements of their diet have been prepared in accordance with lawful Islamic principles.
The ramen summit's halal proposal has been warmly welcomed by the Muslim community, including Aisjah Girindra, director of the Indonesian Ulemas Council's Food, Drug and Cosmetics Research Institute (LP POM MUI).
She recounted that many Indonesian Muslims traveling abroad were often at a loss on what to plump for on a menu. They fear that ingredients may contain hidden pork products or other items deemed unfit for their consumption.
"We often hear stories of our students in Japan or Europe who are confused about what to eat because there are no halal labels, even on noodles," Aisjah said at a news conference on the summit held last week in Jakarta.
"Pork fat may be contained in some of the additional ingredients, like in the seasoning packets," Aisjah added.
She said halal certification would give Muslims peace of mind in making their food choices -- and not just when they are traveling abroad.
"Except for noodles produced in, say, the Middle East, up to now, we have never been secure about whether the noodles, even ones produced locally, are halal, unless they have the label," she said.
"The Codex standard would allow us to know that the noodles we consume are acceptable according to our religion. That would make us all very happy."
Halal certification would allow inspectors from groups such as the Indonesian Ulemas Association to make random inspections of factories to ensure they conformed to the practices.
F.G. Winarno, technical adviser of Codex General Standard for Instant Ramen, explained that setting a uniform International Codex Standard was vital because the industry was striving to carve out a greater nutritional role for noodles on the world's dinner tables.
Standardization takes care of both consumer health concerns and honesty in business practices to bar against the marketing of substandard products.
It will ensure that all noodles -- whether produced by Indofood in Indonesia or a small firm in Africa -- adhere to the same regulations, he added.
And it will also eliminate any doubts about the export quality of items from producers around the globe.
Important items up for discussion in setting the Codex, he said, include: * Raw materials, food additives (i.e. alkalines, antioxidants, colors, preservatives). * Hygiene standards. * Packaging and labeling.
Winarno said the ultimate standards approved should be strong enough to safeguard consumers, but not so strict to burden the industry.
"The standards can't be too strong, but neither can they be too light because we are positioning instant noodles as an export commodity," he said.
100 billion meals
The summit will also be an ideal opportunity for the movers and shakers of the industry to rub shoulders with other industry lights and discuss the problems they encounter in their respective markets.
Cooperation and understanding forged during such exchanges set the path for better future relationships among noodle firms, large and small, worldwide.
The swapping of experiences and the discovery of solutions needed to overcome the problems stand noodle producers in good stead as they prepare for future growth.
A major noodle producer such as Nissin or Indofood may be able to provide valuable advice to a company finding its feet in its market.
Standardization of quality and hygiene is also part of the effort to meet an expected demand of 100 billion servings by 2010.
The popularity of noodles as both a instant ramen snack and as main meal is growing, spreading from the food's origins in Asian.
Although the top-20 list of noodle-consuming countries includes both traditional Asian centers of the food's consumption, such as China, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea, also prominent among them are countries such as the United States, Brazil, Australia and Canada; a fact which is perhaps surprising to some.
The pull for consumers' palates and pocketbooks is easy to understand.
High in carbohydrates, convenient to prepare and reasonably priced, noodles are fitting into the dietary needs of many busy consumers. They provide a satisfying, filling meal without taking a bite from one's budget.
Noodles, in addition to the staple of rice, are a big seller in Indonesia. Indonesian Food and Beverage Association chairman Thomas Darmawan revealed the country's instant noodle makers produced about eight billion packets of noodles in 1998, slightly lower than the 8.6 billion produced the previous year.
Eva Riyanti Hutapea, Indofood's president and part of the steering committee for the summit, acknowledged that the company's noodle sales dipped in the past year.
It sold 7.5 billion packets of noodles in 1998, a 3.8 percent drop from the 7.8 billion packet sales recorded in 1997.
Eva attributed the decline in sales to rising prices of ingredients, particularly wheat, on the world market. This was combined with weakened consumer purchasing power of Indonesians due to an economic crisis.
One of the four main items on the summit agenda is the provision of noodles for social assistance and in overcoming national disasters.
Part of this outreach will be evident at the summit itself.
IRMA members have agreed to pool their resources through the IRMA Care Noodle (Mi Peduli IRMA) for needy Indonesians battling to survive in the crisis.
A donation of Rp 1.1 billion -- translating into the provision of 2.5 million packs of instant noodles -- will be made during the Bali summit.
Even with the decline in sales in the wake of the economic crisis, the Bali summit, and the next gathering in 2001 in Seoul, will assure the place of noodles in meeting nutritional needs of people across the world.
Table: National trend in instant ramen demands; 20 major countries, 1992 to 1997 (in million packs)
No Country 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997
--------------------------------------------------------------------
01 China * 1,300* 3,000* 4,020 13,270 15,000 16,000
02 Indonesia 4,760 5,600 7,000 7,650 7,970 8,600
03 Japan 4,870 5,200 5,040 5,200 5,300 5,320
04 South Korea 3,610 3,560 3,710 3,520 3,730 3,890
05 USA 1,400 1,530 1,800 2,000 2,000 2,480
06 Thailand 550 950 1,200 1,340 1,340 1,370
07 Philippines 250 780 920 1,000 1,040 1,130
08 Vietnam 640 570 800 900 900 900
09 Taiwan 670 730 780 810 840 800
10 Brazil 150 220 320 470 580 670
11 Malaysia 200 300 300 330 360 360
12 Former USSR 30 50 - - 300 300
13 Hong Kong 270 260 250 270 270 280
14 India 70 60 80 100 100 170
15 United Kingdom 110 130 120 120 150 150
16 Australia 50 80 80 90 130 130
17 Germany 60 70 70 70 130 130
18 Singapore 50 60 60 70 100 100
19 Mexico 20 40 40 40 40 90
20 Canada 60 70 70 80 80 80
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Total 20 Countries 19,120 23,260 26,660 37,330 40,360 42,950
Percent of Total (World) 99% 99% 99% 99% 99% 99%
Total (World) 19,260 23,270 26,870 37,580 40,790 43,420
* Estimates
Sources: Japan Convenience Food Industry Association (JCFIA), International Ramen Manufacturers Association (IRMA)