The global pasta market is expected to reach a volume of almost 18 million tons by 2015, reports Global Industry Analysts. Demand is being fuelled by a rising number of smaller, busy families in need of faster cooked meal options. Pasta consumption is increasing due to the food’s long shelf life, versatility, high nutritional content and ease of preparation.
Rice and noodles are staple foods that have been also gaining in popularity due to their long shelf life, short preparation time and adaptability. Rice provides more than 20% of the calories consumed by people throughout the world, making it the leading grain in terms of nutrition and caloric intake.
Key Segments
The world instant noodle market is set to reach a volume of more than 139 billion packs by 2015, reports Global Industry Analysts. Market growth is fuelled by the product’s low cost, minimal cooking time and product range, which includes many tastes and flavors. More consumers are opting for instant noodles due to lifestyle trends leaving little time for food preparation by rising numbers of women who are now working and working longer hours.
Meals that can be cooked in a matter of minutes are increasingly popular not only in the home but also with public food outlets, including fast food outlets, restaurants and in the workplace. Future market growth will likely come from countries other than those currently ranked among the world’s top consuming nations. Manufacturers will focus on reducing cooking time and appealing to consumer needs such as hygiene, affordability, safety and nutrition. Product innovation in terms of flavor will prove vital moving forward.
Industry Leaders
Leading companies operating in the global pasta market include Armanino Foods of Distinction, Strom Products, Fiori-Bruna Pasta Products, ConAgra Foods, Barilla, American Italian Pasta, Archer Daniels, Campbell Soup, Sbarro, and Nissin Foods. Leading names in the noodles market include AFP, Uni-President Enterprises, Tingyi, Toyo Suisan Kaisha, Acecook Vietnam, Ajinomoto, Nissin Food Products, Samyang Foods, Thai President Foods, Nong Shim, Nestlé India, PT Sentrafood Indonusa, Tat Hui Foods, Sco-Fro Foods, Hebei Hualong Food Group, New Dragon Asia and HJ Heinz.
Regional Market Share
- China’s paddy and rice processing industry continues to expand, with deep processing predicted to possibly add as much as 75% value to rice, reports Research in China. Paddy and rice processing companies fall into five different operating industry chain modes: edible rice and rice bran oil; edible rice and rice products; deep processing of rice involving the nutrition and healthcare products market; production of rice starch sugar and rice protein from crushed rice; and the last mode encompasses the entire industry chain to use byproducts in a cycling economic production mode. A company’s profitability depends on its operating mode and its product offerings. Outfits operating in the fifth mode are the most lucrative, and include names such as Wanfu Biotechnology.
- China’s instant noodle market suffered some degree of stagnation as the market reached maturity and consumers began to lose interest in the product. Companies sought to remedy this by offering new flavors and innovative packaging, reports Mintel. Companies have not kept up with evolving consumer eating habits, and namely rising demand for healthier products.
- Private label pasta and noodles lead the US market, accounting for more than 70% of the distributed volume of the chilled noodles market category, reports Canadean. Private label products, however, account for only 15% of the dried noodle and chilled pasta market segments. Dried pasta represents less than 35% of the US pasta and noodle market in terms of value. Chilled pasta represents the second largest segment, and dried noodles represent the third largest category. Ambient pasta holds the smallest share in the overall market.
Market Outlook
The future of the instant noodles market is likely to be strongly affected by the industry’s ability to tackle health concerns relating to the product. Rising consumer awareness as to the negative impact of eating habits on health such as excess weight and obesity mean that products like instant noodles are suffering from intense scrutiny. The products high fat content, and ingredients such as partially hydrogenated vegetable oils and monosodium glutamate will prove an obstacle to market growth, reports Global Industry Analysts.
Leading Industry Associations
