Latest news with #instantnoodles
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Worrying impact of common ingredient in $2 snack loved by Aussies
Instant noodles are a popular snack food in Australia and around the world, with approximately 100 billion serves consumed each year. But experts are warning about one key ingredient that is not only bad for your body, its production is having a disturbing impact on the planet. A staggering 10 to 20 per cent of the volume of most instant noodles brands is palm oil, which is used in the process of flash-frying. To satisfy our hunger for this single ingredient, over the last 60 years, old-growth forests across South East Asia and the Pacific have been bulldozed and burned at an unprecedented rate to make way for plantations to grow the crop. The product, which is often disguised on ingredients lists as vegetable oil or palm kernel, has also been linked to human rights and worker abuses, as well as air pollution. Around 50 per cent of packaged foods and 70 per cent of cosmetics and soaps are estimated to contain it, but instant noodles contain more palm oil by weight than any other product on the market. In Australia, they're particularly popular with students and anyone else struggling with the cost of living, and brands like NongShim are so cheap, you can buy a pack for less than $2 at Coles or Woolworths. Sustainability experts aren't trying to stop people buying them, they're just trying to change the way they're produced. And they think consumer pressure is important. Related: 🥫 Popular grocery items linked to image of orangutan cruelty Are forests still being destroyed for palm oil? Greenpeace's team in Indonesia argues that instant noodles 'have their place' but the palm oil production industry 'needs to do much better.' 'Clearing for oil palm plantations has been the largest single cause of deforestation in Indonesia since the turn of the century,' its global head of Indonesia's forest campaign, Kiki Taufik, told Yahoo News from Jakarta. Greenpeace analysis shows how problematic its production is, with illegal oil palm plantations in Indonesia occupying 183,687 hectares of land previously mapped as orangutan habitat, and 148,839 hectares of Sumatran tiger habitat. Over 30 per cent of Borneo's forest was destroyed between the early 1970s and the mid-2010s, with palm oil production a major driver. Deforestation for palm oil production is believed to have peaked in the late 2000s. And while that's good news, a major front of concern is rapidly emerging. 'A worrying new deforestation hotspot is West Papua — the island of New Guinea has the greatest plant diversity in the world and plays a major role in protecting the global climate. Companies are grabbing Indigenous Peoples' forest land there, not only for palm oil, but also for sugar plantations,' Taufik said. What consumers don't realise is that if they take a flight from say, Singapore to Kuala Lumpur or Jakarta, they will see a green cover before you're landing, and that's not forest, it's monoculture crops. If you replace tropical forest with monoculture, the biggest ones who suffer is the Seth, WWF Are all instant noodle brands the same? The world's top five manufacturers of instant noodles are Nissin from Japan, Indofood from Indonesia, Master Kong from Taiwan, Nestle from Switzerland, and Otoki and NongShim from South Korea. World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is concerned that only two of these brands, Nissin and Nestle, are 'transparently reporting' what percentage of palm oil in their instant noodles is certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a group it helped set up to reduce the environmental harm caused by farming of the product, and help consumers avoid products linked to recent deforestation. WWF Singapore's Kamal Seth, the organisation's global palm oil lead, argues that using RSPO-certified oil would cost shoppers very little. 'As an example, let's say a cup noodle costs one dollar, the price would become one dollar and one cent at the consumer level,' he told Yahoo. 'The issue is that consumers are not even aware that their instant noodles contain palm oil. If they were made aware, they would be willing to pay one cent extra, provided the company is telling them they're buying sustainably.' While the RSPO certification scheme has been plagued by multiple controversies about its effectiveness, both Greenpeace and WWF argue it's the 'best option' right now, and consumers should look for it on packaging. 'Besides RSPO, there is no other global independent mechanism that is more credible… We continue to back it because we want RSPO to become even more effective than what it is right now,' Seth said. Other names for palm oil Here are just five ingredients that are often derived from palm oil, although there are dozens more. Glyceryl Sodium laureth sulphate Stearic acid Palm fruit oil Palmate Who eats the most instant noodles? Seth doesn't think demand for instant noodles will decrease because they are affordable, and important to the food security of millions of people. Seth's focus is on reforming the sustainability of production in the world's largest instant noodle markets which are in China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and India. And increasingly, he doesn't think the middle-class populations of these countries would mind paying slightly more for an assurance that their noodles aren't destroying the habitat of tigers, elephants, orangutans and rhinos. Noodle companies respond to palm oil concerns Responding to questions from Yahoo, Nestle said in 2024, 100 per cent of its palm oil was RSPO-certified, or from 'equivalent' sources. 'For more than 10 years, we have been using a combination of tools, including supply chain mapping, certification, satellite monitoring and on-the-ground assessments, to assess and address deforestation risks in our supply chains and improve our understanding of human rights and land rights risks,' it said. Incredible phone footage leads to rediscovery of lost species Australia called out for 'failing' two rare species Travellers warned of hidden health risk on popular holiday island Indofood, which makes the popular Indomie brand, said it takes its 'environmental responsibilities very seriously' and that its palm oil is accredited by Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO), a mandatory accreditation scheme introduced by the government. It was keen to note changes in its production, claiming that 89 per cent of its oil palm estates were certified as sustainable under the ISPO scheme. It said it was committed to no degradation of forest deemed to have High Conservation Value — home to threatened species, Indigenous populations, or riparian zones — and it was not destroying primary forests, also known as old-growth forests. To prevent this from occurring, it places warning signs and boundary pits around them and conducts patrols. Nissin, Master Kong, Otoki and NongShim did not immediately respond to questions from Yahoo. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
CNA
11-07-2025
- Business
- CNA
Commentary: Why Samyang Buldak instant noodles is an US$8 billion tariff-proof brand
HONG KONG: When it comes to instant noodles, there's no Korean discount. Only a Korean premium. Samyang Foods, the manufacturer of Buldak ramen, has gained 93 per cent this year. Trading at 26 times forward earnings, it boasts US$8.1 billion market cap, as much as bigger rivals Japan's Nissin Foods and Korea's Nongshim combined. This rally has also made chief executive Kim Jung-soo, who married into a conglomerate family and turned around the instant noodle company after it declared bankruptcy in the late 1990s, a rare billionaire in her own right in the country's male-dominated business world. Buldak, which translates to 'fire chicken' in Korean, is not for the fainthearted. With its debut in 2012, Samyang introduced a level of spice previously unseen in the instant ramen market. It has roughly the same heat level as jalapeno peppers. Last year, Denmark briefly recalled the fiery ramen for being too spicy. SOCIAL MEDIA FASCINATION Perhaps because of its 'seriously extreme spice,' Buldak has become an object of fascination for social media influencers who might enjoy truth-or-dare antics. The carbonara version, in particular, resembles the boxed macaroni and cheese Americans grew up with – with a kick. In May, the number of TikTok hashtags related to Buldak surged 250 per cent from last year, according to CLSA, a brokerage. The keyword leaps up on Google trends, too. As these ramen packs go viral online, they fly off supermarket shelves. In the first quarter, revenue in the United States jumped 20 per cent quarter-on-quarter, even as sales at Walmart declined slightly due to a Buldak Carbonara shortage. This is nonetheless music to investors' ears: Unrequited love can be a beautiful thing. Upon the completion of a second plant in Miryang in June, Samyang will soon be able to ramp up shipments to major distributors including Costco. By 2030, Samyang's market share in the US could double from 8.1 per cent in 2024, according to CLSA estimates. PARALLELS WITH POP MART AND LABUBU In many ways, there are parallels between Samyang and China's Pop Mart, the maker of Labubu, an elf-like plush toy that has become a global sensation. With US$45 billion market cap, the toy maker is worth more than twice as much as Sanrio and Mattel combined, owners of long-time favourites Hello Kitty and Barbie. These products are not for everyone. With pointy ears and nine serrated teeth, Labubu has a weird look, which only some consumers find cute, while others scratch their head and puzzle over its stardom. Existing outside the mainstream, both generate conversation and attract eyeballs. They are designed to go viral. Investors are also betting that unlike older generations, young Americans have the adventurous spirit for something different. These days, people are getting hooked on Korean specialty grocery chain H Mart, quite a cultural shift considering cucumbers were a new vegetable for the McDonald's US menu just over a decade ago. And the youth are friendlier to China than their parents. IShowSpeed, a streamer with 38 million followers, certainly enjoyed Chinese cars and robots during his two-week trip in the spring. TARIFF-PROOF BRANDS As for US President Donald Trump's trade policies? Investors are not at all worried, seeing that both brands are tariff-proof. In the US, eating out has become an expensive endeavour. A meal at a fast-food restaurant can easily set you back US$10. Instead, staying at home with a bowl of Buldak ramen, which will cost just over US$2 even with the incremental 25 per cent duty Trump plans to impose on South Korean products, can be equally satisfying. As for Labubu, good luck getting your hands on them at all. They are sold out at Pop Mart's retail stores worldwide. In a year's time, Gen Z and influencers might have moved on to something different. But for now, investors are happy to reward Samyang and Pop Mart with outsized valuation premium. They know that despite Trump's protectionism, young people are interested in exotic tastes and aesthetics, and that's worth billions.
Bloomberg
09-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Why Buldak Ramen Is an $8 Billion Brand
When it comes to instant noodles, there's no Korean discount. Only a Korean premium. Samyang Foods Co., the manufacturer of 'Buldak' ramen, has gained 93% this year. Trading at 26 times forward earnings, it boasts $8.1 billion market cap, as much as bigger rivals Japan's Nissin Foods Holdings Co. and Korea's Nongshim Co. combined.
New York Times
09-07-2025
- New York Times
The Best New Deals We've Found on Day 2 of Prime Day
Michael Hession/NYT Wirecutter; food styling by Rachel Michael A-Sha Meteor Noodles With Danzai Sauce (12-Pack) — Top Pick Amazon deal price: $22 (pack of twelve); street price: $27 What we like: One of our saucy instant noodle top picks. We loved this ramen's balance of sweet shallots and a meaty sauce coating thick, bouncy noodles. It was a near-unanimous favorite of our testers. The 'meteor noodles' are ovoid-shaped, with laser cuts intended to absorb extra sauce. Other things to know: We can't say for certain whether those laser cuts work as intended. Vegan-friendly. 1,250 mg per serving. Contains wheat and soy. Deal for a pack of twelve. Read more: The Best Instant Noodles Photo: Marki Williams ThruNite Archer 2A C Flashlight — Top Pick Amazon deal price: $30 ; street price: $40 What we like: Our top pick for the best flashlight. Waterproof and compact (picture a thick Crayola marker). Stands upright on its end. Wide range of brightness settings. Included rechargeable battery makes the brighter settings more powerful. Can also be powered by two AA batteries. Other things to know: Very similar to our previous top pick (the 2A V3 model, now our runner-up pick), but is also compatible with its included rechargeable battery. Battery needs to be removed from the flashlight in order to charge. Flimsy belt clip. Read more: The Best Flashlight Michael Hession/NYT Wirecutter Keychron V5 Max Mechanical Keyboard (Banana Switch) — Top Pick Amazon deal price: $65 (deal on Banana Switch); street price: $115 What we like: The best 1800-layout mechanical keyboard. Provides all the keys of a full-size keyboard in a significantly more-compact layout. Sturdy case, durable PBT keycaps, and smooth lubricated stabilizers. Wired, wireless USB dongle, and Bluetooth connectivity. Other things to know: Comes with Windows and Mac keycaps, and swapping between the two layouts is easy. Very limited one-year warranty. Less aesthetically flexible than others. Nonstandard right Shift, bottom-row, and number-pad keys—something to look out for if you replace your keycaps. Banana switches, which are slightly stiffer and snappier. Brown switches available for $10 more, which is still a great deal. New low. Read more: The Best Keyboards REI REI Co-op 650 Down Vest - Women's — Budget Pick REI deal price: $50 (with store pickup or REI membership, deal on olive or cream); street price: $100 What we like: Our budget insulated vest pick. As warm as or warmer than all but our top pick. Half the price of our picks. Stylish and well-constructed. Spacious outer pockets. Comes in a variety of sizes. Ideal for commuting, urban walks, and the occasional outdoor adventure. Repels water well. Packable, durable and made of ethically-sourced down. Other things to know: Zippers aren't as sturdy as our top pick, and may get caught on the fabric. Select store pickup or add to an order of $60 or more to avoid shipping fees. REI members get free shipping. Deal on olive and cream. Read more: The Best Insulated Vest Marki Williams/NYT Wirecutter Jarkyfine Large Window Bird Feeder — Gift Pick Amazon deal price: $19 ; street price: $22 What we like: A bird feeder recommended in multiple Wirecutter gift guides. Mounts to the outside of a window with strong suction cups. A roomy acrylic structure readily accommodate multiple avian visitors. Gives a close of view of feeding birds. Squirrel-proof. Other things to know: Surprisingly enjoyable for the whole family, including pets. It can get messy, but it's easy to clean. Add a bag of birdseed, and you have an inexpensive gift that nearly anyone will enjoy. Read more: The 29 Best Gifts for Families NYT Wirecutter Hanes Men's Full-Zip EcoSmart Hoodie — Gift Pick Amazon deal price: $9 (deal on steel gray); street price: $18 What we like: An everyday hoodie recommended in our guide to great last-minute Christmas gifts. Inexpensive, especially on sale. An ideal extra layer: not too cold, warm, or fancy. Soft and cut generously. Other things to know: The 50-50 cotton and polyester blend holds color and texture better than 100% cotton but still feels breathable. Comes in six sizes up to 3XL. Most colors and sizes on sale. Down to the lowest price we've seen. Other colors are $12 or $13, which is a decent deal price matching our previous low. Read more: 33 Great Last-Minute Christmas Gifts Michael Murtaugh/NYT Wirecutter Boy Smells Hinoki Fantôme Candle — Top Pick Amazon deal price: $35; street price: $45 What we like: One of our top warm, woodsy scented candle picks that we also like as a gift. Earthy and elegant fragrance isn't overpowering. Top note of Japanese cypress (hinoki) smoke with hints of warm amber, sweet vanilla, florals, and fresh moss. Other things to know: We're currently retesting this candle, as after a rebrand the company is using a new, supposedly stronger-scented wax formulation. 8.5 ounces. 20-hour burn time. Not the best deal we've seen, but still solid since the street price shot up by $10 last year. Read more: Our Favorite Scented Candles Marki Williams/NYT Wirecutter Google Nest Audio Smart Speaker — Top Pick Best Buy deal price: $50; street price: $80 What we like: The best Google Nest smart speaker for streaming music, and also our top pick for a Google smart-home assistant. Noticeably richer audio experience in comparison with the smaller Google Nest speaker. Can pair for a stereo set or work with other Google speakers for multiroom audio. Other things to know: On a par with the Amazon Echo. Sound is good but nothing special. Stands just under 7 inches tall and has a slim, 3-inch base. Has a physical switch on the back to turn the microphone off, plus tap controls on either side to control volume. Available in charcoal or white. Read more: The Best Google Nest Smart Speakers Marki Williams/NYT Wirecutter Beautyblender Original Makeup Sponge — Best For... Amazon deal price: $14; street price: $20 What we like: The best makeup sponge. Creates an almost airbrushed finish. Its curves fit all facial contours. Foam expands when wet without feeling mushy and waterlogged. Moistening this sponge creates a barrier that keeps makeup from sinking in and wasting product. Other things to know: Damp sponges can harbor mold. Cleaning the sponge — lathering, rinsing, blotting repeatedly — is a process, but essential. Read more: The Best Makeup Brushes Marki Williams/NYT Wirecutter Travelpro Crew Classic Rolling UnderSeat Carry-On — Best For... Amazon deal price: $166 (deal on black); street price: $195 What we like: The best underseat personal-item bag for wheeled-luggage fans. This diminutive version of our favorite carry-on luggage rolls along on wheels, has a long extending handle, and fits under an airline seat. Large enough to carry everything you need for an overnight trip. Durable, dependable, and comes with a lifetime warranty. Other things to know: Has a pass-through sleeve for the handle of a carry-on luggage. It's not compressible, the wheels take up some space, and the exterior accessory pocket can't fit much. Deal on black. Read more: The Best Underseat Luggage and Personal-Item Bags Joshua Lyon/NYT Wirecutter Lego Roses 40460 — Top Pick Amazon deal price: $9; street price: $13 What we like: One of our top picks for the best entry-level Lego kit. Pack of two individual flowers is a fraction of the cost of bigger botanical kits. Easy to assemble, with little time commitment. The roses contain satisfying structural details such as thorns and curvy petals. Other things to know: Also recommended in multiple gift guides. Unobtrusive enough to tuck into a spot of your home without overpowering an overall aesthetic. You can add it to other botanical bouquets or DIY your own. Read more: The Best Lego Flower and Plant Sets Photo: Marki Williams Toto Washlet C2 Bidet Toilet Seat — Runner-Up Amazon deal price: $300; street price: $350 Walmart deal price: $300; street price: $350 What we like: Our runner-up pick for the best bidet toilet seat. Less expensive than our top pick but retains many of the same features. Offers heated seat, warm water, and pressure controls that go up and down on a +/- scale. Side panel is easy enough to learn by feel. Other things to know: Compared with our top pick, the C2 lacks a remote, has two fewer options for water temperature, and no programmable user settings. Deal on white. Not the lowest price we've seen, but still a good deal. Read more: The Best Bidet Toilet Seat or Washlet NYT Wirecutter Anker 622 Magnetic Battery Power Bank (A1614) — Another Good Option Amazon deal price: $30; street price: $43 What we like: A wireless power bank worth considering if you want something lighter than our top pick that comes in more colors, and you don't mind that it has half the capacity. Weighs only 5 ounces. Has a single USB-C in/out port and a handy foldable stand. Comes with a USB-C charging cable. Other things to know: Has a rated capacity of 5,000 mAh, so it can't fully recharge a phone as many times as our top pick. Backed by Anker's two-year warranty. All colors on sale. Read more: The Best Wireless Portable Chargers and Power Banks Here are all of the best Amazon Prime Day deals, as curated by Wirecutter's meticulous team of journalists. With these Wirecutter-approved picks under $100, you don't have to spend a lot to get a good deal this Amazon Prime Day. We, too, get giddy about actually-good deals. Plenty of beauty products are on sale right now, but these Wirecutter-tested picks are actually worth the money. No more post-purchase regret. The Wirecutter Deals Team
The Sun
13-06-2025
- Health
- The Sun
I used ChatGPT as FREE nutritionist to rate my diet & turbocharge my health – it found TWO hidden dangers in my meals
CHATGPT is more than just my pocket therapist - it's now my in-house dietician, too. Armed with photos of my lunches and dinners, the no-nonsense AI chatbot found two risky mistakes I was making with all my meals, which no doubt means thousands of others will be too. 4 4 So how does it work? Just upload a simple snap of the plate in front of you (I use the ChatGPT smartphone app for ease), which it then scans to figure out what you're eating, and breaks it down to its nutritional contents. Even without a description, it uses its clever machine mind to work out exactly what's on your plate, forecast how many calories it has - and explain what the meal is missing, or has too much of. Here's what I uploaded - and ChatGPT's analysis... Meal #1: Noodle time While not the healthiest meal in the world, a packet of Shin instant ramen is a go-to for me. With no description from myself, ChatGPT managed to spot all the ingredients, from the shredded cabbage that was going floppy in my fridge to the dehydrated vegetables that came with the noodles. It highlighted what was good about the meal, for example, how it was high in protein from the frozen prawns I'd added, and convenient due to the instant noodles. Then, it explained exactly how I could make my go-to grub healthier - for example, I could have added more vegetables for fibre, sesame oil for healthy fats and tofu for calcium. It also suggested I use a low-sodium broth or seasoning, and swap out the instant noodles for soba, udon or rice noodles - which definitely would have squashed the 'convenience' part of this meal. If you tell ChatGPT your actual recipe or quantities, it can give you a more precise breakdown, too. I asked ChatGPT how to transform my bedroom in a single step - all I needed was a Homebase buy & now it's like paradise Meal #2: The Italian job 4 With this bowl of pasta, ChatGPT visually dissected the meal into two separate components: the pasta, and the bread. However, it made a slight calculation error: there were actually three small slices of bread, not two as it said. If you notice ChatGPT make an error like this, simply correct it and it will give you an adjusted breakdown. The AI bot then gave me another set of strengths from the meal, such as that it was rich in healthy fats from the olive oil and nuts in pesto. It also contained antioxidants from the basil blended into the pesto, and the olives in the fancy bread I treated myself to. But what I thought was a fairly healthy meal - made with homemade pesto, for goodness sakes - wasn't so much... ChatGPT revealed that it was "moderate to high" in sodium (salt) from the Parmesan, high in refined carbs and low in protein. Meal #3: Chickening out 4 ChatGPT's clever AI brain can calculate the calories and nutritional content of each component of your plate. Take this plate of roast chicken, for example, which has sides of homemade fries, broccoli and a butter tarragon sauce. ChatGPT is able to estimate how much cholesterol is in the roast chicken and the quantity of sodium in the sauce It then provides a breakdown of the meal with all components combined. ChatGPT gave me a minor applause for my admittedly small portion of healthy greens and home-prepared fries, which have lower trans fats than processed ones. It even noted that there was likely less sodium if the sauce was homemade. The brutal verdict… and 2 hidden dangers Taking a holistic look at three of my dinners over the past week, the AI bot warned me that my meals were all moderate to high in sodium - or salt, which can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. It said sodium was "likely elevated across all meals (from broth, pesto cheese, olives, sauces)" and recommended I use low-sodium broth alternatives and less Parmesan cheese. The advice ChatGPT gave me Protein Rating: Adequate Notes: Well done – maintain or slightly increase if active. Fibre Rating: Low Notes: Add legumes, more veg, whole grains. Sodium Rating: Moderate–High Notes: Use low-sodium broths and sauces. Fat Rating: Balanced, but some meals high in saturated fat Notes: Be mindful of frequency, balance with leaner meals. Vegetable Variety Rating: Limited (Present, but in a narrow range, minimal variety, or not in optimal balance) Notes: Add diversity – aim for 3–4 colours per plate if possible. Whole Grains Rating: Lacking (Significantly below recommended levels or nearly absent) Notes: Swap in whole wheat pasta, brown rice, grainy bread. The AI bot also recommended I taste my food before salting it - which I certainly don't do enough. ChatGPT also cautioned that my fibre intake was low, which can cause constipation, which no one wants. It worked out that most of my meals have roughly 5g to 8g of fibre in them, below the ideal 10g to 15g per meal, and I was encouraged to eat more whole grains, legumes, and more varied portions of vegetables. ChatGPT even offered to design a meal to avert these mistakes - something lighter, higher in fibre, and low in sodium to "help round out [my] week's eating pattern". It's worth noting that the more information you give the bot, the more accurate its calculations will be. But if like me, you're time-poor and looking for simple, actionable snippets of advice, it's a great free tool.
