Nissin Foods® USA Makes a Historic Recipe Change to Improve its Iconic Cup Noodles® Product Lineup

The inventors of instant ramen listen to consumers, creating an improved nutritional profile for U.S. store shelves

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Sep 15, 2016, 06:00 ET

GARDENA, Calif., Sept. 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Nissin Foods, the inventor of instant ramen, announced a significant recipe change for its iconic Cup Noodles brand in the U.S. For the first time in its recent history, the beloved noodle brand is taking a step forward in improving its nutritional makeup by reducing sodium, removing added MSG and removing artificial flavors. Celebrating the 45^th anniversary of Cup Noodles, Nissin is making thoughtful nutritional changes to its product while maintaining a great taste fans love – all at the same, affordable price.

Behind-the-Scenes Video: Nissin Foods USA Makes a Historic Recipe Change to Improve its Iconic Cup Noodles Lineup

Nissin Foods USA Makes a Historic Recipe Change to Improve its Iconic Cup Noodles Lineup

"Listening to our consumers has always been at the core of what our company, and the Cup Noodles product in particular, was founded on," said Al Multari, president of Nissin Foods USA. "Most recently, we asked our consumers what changes they'd like to see in our Cup Noodles product. They told us that without sacrificing taste, the three most compelling changes we could make to our recipe were: lower sodium, no added MSG and no artificial flavors. This is exactly what we've been able to accomplish. Our consumers rely on Cup Noodles as a convenient, affordable and quality meal to help keep them going – and now, they can feel even better about eating it."

For almost 60 years Nissin has offered innovative, satisfying products with a wide range of flavors. Invented in 1958 by Momofuku Ando, who was inspired by the hungry masses he witnessed after World War II, ramen has become an affordable, delicious quality meal or snack that consumers love. Keeping the importance of taste and cost in mind, Nissin challenged its research and development team to accomplish the task to help address today's modern preferences for this ramen product.

After a series of blind taste tests with people who frequently consume the product, results revealed that consumers liked the new version of Cup Noodles just as much as the current. Nutritional changes include:

A reduction of more than 20 percent in the sodium content of the three best-selling flavors, and a reduction of approximately 15 percent in sodium content of all flavors
Removed added MSG (but contains small amounts of naturally occurring glutamates in ingredients such as soy sauce, tomato and red chili pepper)
Removed all artificial flavors and added natural ingredients (such as turmeric, paprika and lime)

Nissin is committed to providing its consumers with a delicious, affordable meal and is constantly evolving its products to align with consumer preferences. With this recipe change, consumers can be assured that they are receiving a product that meets their expectations of a delicious taste and an improved nutritional recipe.

Consumers can now find the new product on store shelves nationwide. With this new Cup Noodles lineup, the brand will also launch its first-ever U.S. national advertising campaign in November 2016.

Behind-the-Scenes Video of New Cup Noodles Recipe: https://youtu.be/DhSstqW4uxc
B-Roll: https://vimeo.com/ketchumstudios/review/181834629/0465af510c
Additional Assets: http://nissinfoods.com/cupnoodlesannouncement.php

About Nissin Foods

Nissin Food Products Co. Ltd. was established by Momofuku Ando in 1958, who invented the first instant ramen noodle in Japan. In 1970, they established Nissin Foods (USA) Co., Inc. in Gardena, California introducing ramen noodles to the U.S consumers. In 1971 the company invented Cup Noodles, and revolutionized the industry by making it possible to package, prepare and serve noodles all in the same container. For nearly 60 years, Nissin Foods has been providing consumers with quick and delicious meal solutions.

In the U.S., Nissin Foods USA develops and markets a variety of products including Bowl Noodles®, Chow Mein, Cup Noodles, Ramen Bowl, Souper Meal^® and Top Ramen^® uniquely positioning them to meet the needs of today's busy lifestyles. The company's corporate philosophy inspires commitment to taste, convenience and quality.

Video - https://youtu.be/DhSstqW4uxc
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160914/407963

SOURCE Nissin Foods USA