Instant noodles steaming back to life (2)

Residents purchase instant noodles at a supermarket in Qingdao, Shandong province. Chinese instant noodle makers reported higher sales and net profit in the first half. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Felix Ma, a principal at global consultancy Roland Berger China, said instant noodles were once regarded by some Chinese as "junk food" — being fried, non-nutritious, high in calories and with added preservatives. Consumers with an increasing awareness of healthy food turned their backs on noodles.

"But these aspects of instant noodles were over-exaggerated, and many manufacturers now attach great importance to the health concept," he said.

Ma added that the industry has made concerted efforts to improve the flavor of products, including adding more fresh vegetables or meat to the cup. Moreover, many producers are using chicken soup or rib soup — traditionally considered nutritious by Chinese — to make consumers reconsider their views that noodles are unhealthy.

In the first half of this year, instant noodle maker Master Kong achieved revenue of 11.54 billion yuan, year-on-year growth of 3.68 percent, and its net profit reached 875 million yuan, up by 31.15 percent on the same period last year.

In a written interview, the company said it has been innovating and upgrading its products to offer "better ingredients, better cooking technology and better taste," to meet consumers' health needs and demand for quality products.

"China's consumption market is becoming more diversified and personalized. We have always been concerned about consumers' needs, especially those of the middle class, young families with children and the new generation of urbanized young people," it said.