The newly appointed director general of the World Instant Noodles Association (WINA) Wei Ing-Chou called on May 19 for joint efforts to create a new golden age for the global instant noodles industry.

Wei Ing-Chou, chairman of Tingyi Holding Corp., China's largest instant noodles maker, was announced as WINA's new director general at the 8th World Instant Noodles Summit held in Tianjin, China on May 19-21. The biennial event, first held in Tokyo, Japan, in 1997, brings together the top management from the world's leading instant noodles businesses to share their experience regarding industry regulations, technologies, operation and marketing.

Wei, who is known as the instant noodles king, said in his welcome speech that he was certain the global instant noodles industry was set for another golden age in the event that all members continue to seek inspiration from local traditional food culture, create products in line with consumers' needs and expectations, and improve manufacturing techniques and product quality.

Wei said: "In 2011, the global demand for instant noodles was 98.2 billion packs, which failed to hit the target of 115 billion packs in 2010 as set at the 5th [WINA] summit held in Seoul in 2006. The reason for this industrial stagnation include changes in the industrial structures of newly-emerging countries and the impact from a gloomy global economy. "

He added: "Negative reports regarding the food industry of each country in recent years is also another factor which has suppressed consumer demands for this type of food."

To address this problem and help the global industry achieve disciplined, harmonious and efficient growth, it's critical to focus on such aspects as safety, diversification, product quality and convenience.

China has become the world's largest producer and seller of instant noodles. In 2011, the country produced a total of 48.4 billion packets, with overall sales amounting to 55.8 billion yuan (US$8.86 billion), accounting for about half of the world's total.

China is now playing an increasingly important role on the global stage thanks to such industry leaders as Tingyi, Jinmailang, Baixiang and Uni-President, who have striven to promote the industry's rapid and sustainable development. Most remarkably, Tingyi, together with its major brand Master Kong, currently accounts for about 55 percent of the domestic market and nearly 19 percent of total global sales.