Nissin Food Products Co., Ltd. is a Japanese food company that specializes in the production and sale of

convenience food Convenience food, also called tertiary processed food, is food that is commercially prepared (often through processing) to optimise ease of consumption. Such food is usually ready to eat without further preparation. It may also be easily p ...

and instant noodles.

History

Founding and early years

The company was established in Japan on September 1, 1948, by Taiwanese immigrant Go Pek-Hok (1910–2007), Japanese name Momofuku Ando (the creator of instant ramen in 1958) as . Ten years later, the company introduced the first instant ramen noodle product, Chikin Ramen (Chicken Ramen). Soon thereafter, the company name was changed to . The company established a US subsidiary Nissin Foods in 1970 and, starting in 1972, sold instant ramen noodle products under the name

Top Ramen is an American brand of instant ramen noodles introduced in 1970 by Nissin Foods. History Instant noodles were invented in 1958 by Momofuku Ando, the Taiwanese-born founder of the Japanese food company Nissin. He used Chicken Ramen as ...

. Instant noodles (1958) and

Cup Noodles Cup noodle is a registered trademark of Nissin Foods and is known as precooked instant noodle with flavoring powder and/or seasoning sauce sold in a polystyrene, polyethylene, or paper cup. The flavoring can be in a separate packet or loose in t ...

(1971) were both invented by Momofuku Ando. Nissin Foods has its headquarters in

Yodogawa-ku is one of 24 wards of Osaka, Japan. It is located in the north of the city. Economy Nissin Foods has its corporate headquarters in Yodogawa-ku. The company moved to its current headquarters in 1977, when the construction of the building was com ...

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

Recent years and expansion

The company moved to its current headquarters in 1977, when the construction of the building was completed. In 2007, Myojo Foods Co., Ltd. became a wholly owned subsidiary of Nissin Foods. On January 5, 2007, Nissin founder Momofuku Ando died at the age of 96. In May 2011, Nissin announced a capital and business alliance with confectionery producer Frente Co., Ltd. In September 2011, the Cup Noodles museum opens in

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...

, Japan exhibiting the full spectrum of the founder Momofuku Ando's vision. An agreement with Turkey's largest consumer goods manufacturing group was reached in September 2013, resulting in the creation of Nissin Yildiz Gida Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S. March 2014 saw the opening of ''The Wave'', a new Japan-based R&D center, aimed at creating "a wave of the most advanced food technologies". The building has been honored with the Good Design Award. Worldwide sales of the Cup Noodles reached 40 billion servings in 2016; 70% of total sales were accumulated outside Japan.

Name

According to the company, the name 'Nissin' originates as an abbreviated form of the expression 「日々清らかに豊かな味をつくる」 (Hibi kiyoraka ni yutakana aji o tsukuru), coined by company founder Momofuku Ando, and representing his desire for the company. The expression can be loosely translated as "Day after day purely create great taste".

Facilities and regions

Nissin Foods has established offices and factories in various locations, such as the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

(since 1972),

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

(since 1981),

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

(since 1985),

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

(since 1987),

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

(since 1993),

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

(since 1993),

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

(since 1994), China (since 1995), the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

(since 1997) and

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

(since 2000). In 2013, ''Makarneks'', the Turkish equivalent to Cup Noodles, was introduced. In 2015, Nissin Foods established their subsidiary in Brazil as "Nissin Foods do Brasil" and became the leader of instant noodles producers. Their products are sold in more than 80 countries worldwide.

Products

Instant noodles

* Nissin Top Ramen *

Nissin Chikin Ramen , or Nissin Chicken Ramen, is a noodle brand and the first marketed brand of Japanese instant noodles produced by Nissin Foods since 1958. It was invented by Momofuku Ando after he learned how to cook tempura in his house in Ikeda, Osaka. The p ...

Nissin Cup Noodles Cup noodle is a registered trademark of Nissin Foods and is known as precooked instant noodle with flavoring powder and/or seasoning sauce sold in a polystyrene, polyethylene, or paper cup. The flavoring can be in a separate packet or loose in t ...

* Doll Brand - created by Winner Food Products Limited (est. 1968), a subsidiary of Nissin since 1984 *

Chow Mein ''Chow mein'' ( and , ; Pinyin: ''chǎomiàn'') is a Chinese dish made from stir-fried noodles with vegetables and sometimes meat or tofu. Over the centuries, variations of ''chǎomiàn'' were developed in many regions of China; there are s ...

* Chow Noodle * Bowl Noodles, Rich and Savory, and Hot And Spicy * Spice Route Bowl and Boxes, Sichuan, Korean, and Thai *NuPasta Bowls and bags *

Kitsune udon Udon ( or ) is a thick noodle made from wheat flour, used in Japanese cuisine. It is a comfort food for many Japanese people. There are a variety of ways it is prepared and served. Its simplest form is in a hot soup as with a mild broth called ...

*Demae Ramen

Demae Ramen

Demae Ramen or Demae Itcho ( ja, 出前一丁 which translates to "delivery one order'") was first introduced in Japan in 1969 and entered the market in

the next year. Since then, it has become one of the most popular instant noodle brands in Hong Kong, with a wide range of flavours.

Corporate responsibility

Nissin Foods have been criticized for using palm oil suppliers responsible for the destruction of rainforests, peatlands and abuse of human and labor rights. A demonstration was held at Nissin Foods US Headquarters on June 29, 2015.

Non-affiliations

Nissin Foods is not affiliated with the following: Nisshin Seifun Group Inc., Nisshin OilliO Group, Ltd., Nissan Motor Co., Ltd, Nisshinbo Holdings Inc., Nissin Healthcare Food Service Co., Ltd., Monde Nissin Corporation, and Nissin Kyogyo Co. Ltd. (including Nissin Brake Ohio and Nissin Brake Georgia).

References

External links

*
Nissin documentary
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

{{Authority control Companies listed on the Osaka Exchange Companies based in Osaka Prefecture Food and drink companies established in 1948 Food and drink companies of Japan Japanese brand foods Japanese companies established in 1948 Instant noodle brands 1970s initial public offerings Companies listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange