During an interview with China Economic Net recorded on May 19, Zhang Baiqing, an official from China's largest instant noodle maker Tingyi Holding Corp., rebuked consumers' reservations regarding the health and safety of instant noodles.

Zhang, currently the president for Tingyi's operations in northern and northwestern China, said: "The public can rest assured that instant noodles are perfectly safe for consumption as they do not contain any preservatives. Nor does the flash-frying method imply that the noodles will pose a risk to the consumer's health. People have the option of purchasing fried or non-fried noodles, depending on their personal tastes and preferences."

In regards to the consumers' misconception about instant noodles being a food product containing large amounts of preservatives to ensure their longer shelf life, Zhang said there is actually nothing to worry about. Their production process neither requires nor involves the use of preservatives.

Zhang explained: "The steamed dough goes down the production line for further processing, which includes a deep fry in palm oil and dehydration. We do not use any preservatives throughout the whole process as it is already a fully dehydrated product."

When discussing the consumer's choice between fried and non-fried instant noodles, Zhang said the following: "It has been found that the only real difference between the two categories lies with the consumer's personal preference, rather than his or her health concerns. Fried instant noodles are simply more tasty than non-fried ones. That's the difference. When it comes to understanding the production process of fried instant noodles, people have been misled in the past due to a lack of correct and proper information."

Statistics show that every 100 grams of traditional "fried" instant noodles contains around 18 grams of fat, which accounts for 20 percent of the maximum 60-85 grams fat intake for an adult per day as recommended in Europe and North America.