"98.2 billion servings of instant noodles were consumed globally last year," Koki Ando said, adding that the noodle industry has been pursuing continual upgrades, with more changes to be made in product variety, ingredients and packaging in the future.

Ando, Chairman of the World Instant Noodles Association (WINA) and CEO of Nissin Foods Holding Company, made the remarks at the 8th World Instant Noodles Summit held in Tianjin, China on May 19-21, 2012.

Instant noodles, since its invention in Japan in 1958, have become a popular global food, and the industry is expected to embrace an even brighter future.

Ando said, "In the past 50 years, the industry has been continually innovating noodle processing techniques, ingredients and soup. In addition, the industry has also paid more attention to such aspects as nutrition while maintaining enough calories."

However, there is an urgent need for industrial transformation and upgrade, Ando underlined, saying that consumers now show more concern for food safety and nutrition. As a result, makers should take effective measures to tackle bottlenecks that limit future growth, such as elevated salt and fat levels.