Instant noodles have been deeply loved by consumers since their birth. Whether on a journey, during leisure time, or at home, people often brew a bowl of instant noodles when hungry. As a fried food with many flavors and low prices, fried instant noodles have always been the public's first choice in the instant noodle market. In recent years, food health has become a common concern, and debates over whether fried noodles are harmful to health have continued. Meanwhile, amid people's complex emotional game with instant noodles, frozen fresh noodles have quietly entered people's sight. Compared with low-priced instant noodles, frozen fresh noodles are not low-key in price, but they are more high-end in terms of nutritional preservation and rich side dishes. Industry insiders believe that the instant noodle market has entered a time of "dynastic change"!
A Promising Future for the Frozen Noodle Market Friends who often visit supermarkets may notice that in large stores, there are over a hundred types of bagged instant noodles alone, and if you add cup noodles, there are hundreds of types of instant noodles stored at room temperature in supermarkets. Almost all of them are fried instant noodles. In the frozen section of supermarkets, we can find many cabinets for frozen dumplings, wontons, buns, and tangyuan, with a dazzling array of brands and types, but frozen noodles have very few shelves. Apart from brands like Wan Chai Ferry, Chao Xiang Cun, Gui Guan, Ajisen, CP Group, Dian Fa Foods, Jin Yi, Ya Shi Jia, and Yun He, compared with the instant noodle family, frozen noodles appear very insignificant. In fact, frozen noodles are not new in Japan. It is understood that frozen noodles in Japan were officially launched in the late 1970s, and from 1984 to 1992 alone, the average annual growth rate of production was nearly 40%. At that time, China's fried instant noodles were just entering the mass production stage. Today, China's frozen noodle market is like the instant noodle market 20 years ago, just at the initial stage, with a market share of less than 2%. Many noodle lovers know that the key elements of making noodles are the soup, noodles, and toppings. These seem simple, but doing them well is not easy. If all three are done well, it is a good bowl of noodles. The more critical issue is how to achieve standardized production of such frozen noodles.
Prices Far Exceed Fried Instant Noodles In fact, fried instant noodles have a relatively high oil content, but frying is also an important cooking method in Chinese cuisine, and people eat other fried foods, so it cannot be said that instant noodles are very harmful. On the other hand, after years of development, the production process of instant noodles is relatively mature, and the frying time of the noodle block is not very long. In addition, fried instant noodles have rich flavors, are easy to carry, and are cheap, so the general public accepts them widely, after all, we do not treat instant noodles as a staple food. Frozen noodles have high costs due to the investment in frozen production and processing, as well as low-temperature distribution, so their prices far exceed those of fried instant noodles. To break the market pattern dominated by fried instant noodles, frozen noodles need to work harder on taste and side dishes, and in terms of target customers, frozen noodles can aim at middle- and high-income groups.
Backward Equipment and Technology, Unclear Price Difference The rapid development of frozen noodles has been hindered by industry issues. First, powerful enterprises have not cultivated this consumer market, still focusing on categories like frozen dumplings and tangyuan, which suppresses the development of new categories. Second, cultivating consumer eating habits is a long-term issue, and it cannot be done by just one or two manufacturers. The current technology and equipment for frozen noodles also limit the development of frozen noodles. In the 1990s, some domestic enterprises began to venture into frozen noodles, but at that time, technology was incomplete, and large-scale, standardized production faced certain difficulties. Later, with the development of frozen noodle equipment and production lines, the production of frozen noodles entered the vision of some enterprises. However, some domestic equipment companies simply improved existing dried noodle equipment and put it into production for frozen noodles, ignoring the differences between frozen noodles and dried noodles. In China, the localization rate of dried noodle equipment has reached 100%, and that of instant noodles is over 96%. The continuous innovation and large-scale application of domestic equipment have reduced energy consumption and labor in the dried noodle industry. In comparison, domestic frozen noodle production equipment lags behind industrial development. In addition, equipment manufacturers need to pay attention to how to use physical means to extend freshness and storage time, reduce the use of related additives, and fully reflect the nutritional and fresh value of high-end noodles. Secondly, in terms of consumer cultivation, frozen noodles lack corresponding advertising and publicity. Without seasonal and festival symbols, lacking the image of tangyuan's "reunion," and with countless street noodle shops, freshly made noodles at around 10 yuan per bowl attract consumers away. The frozen noodle market will need some time to flourish. Moreover, the unclear price difference is also a major reason why frozen noodles cannot sell well. After production costs are reduced, terminal prices are lowered, giving the market some consumption space. In first-tier cities, a bowl of noodles on the street starts at 20 yuan, while general frozen noodles are often around 10 yuan, and this price advantage makes consumers in first-tier cities willing to pay for frozen noodles. However, in second- and third-tier cities, you can still find a bowl of noodles for around 10 yuan, and the price difference has not formed. This is one of the reasons why frozen noodles have not been widely accepted. Perhaps only when product technology and processes are achieved, and the price advantage of standardized production becomes prominent, will the market accept them.
Frozen Noodles May Become the Main Force in 10 Years Although frozen and refrigerated noodles have not yet become the public's first choice in the noodle market, they still have great development space in the future. Since 2014, China's instant noodle market has continued to decline, with instant noodle sales falling continuously, and the industry has fallen into a dilemma, which is an indisputable fact. In recent days, when chatting with some distributors in supermarket channels, everyone feels that frozen dumplings and tangyuan have seen sluggish growth, so on consumers' frozen dining tables, more frozen categories need to be developed. Although frozen noodles are currently priced higher, with changes in consumer eating habits and increasing demand for healthy food, for the frozen and refrigerated noodle industry, it is not enough for just one or two enterprises to enter; it also requires stable raw materials, equipment and skill research and development, as well as "universal participation" from consumers. Only when the industry chain thrives can frozen noodles truly become a "substitute" for instant noodles. The frozen noodle industry may usher in development opportunities and become a market main force within the next 10 years.
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