France News

Instant noodles inventor Momofuku Ando dies

Tuesday, 09 January 2007

Instant noodles inventor Momofuku Ando dies

Momofuku Ando, who invented instant noodles, has died in Japan, aged 96, of a heart attack.

Mr Ando, born in Taiwan in 1910, moved to Japan in 1933, where he founded Nissin Food Products Co after World War II to provide cheap food for the masses.

His most famous product, Cup Noodle, was released in 1971 and Mr Ando said the inspiration for it came about when he saw people lining up to buy bowls of hot ramen noodle soup at a black market stall during the food shortages after World War II.

His first instant noodles, Chicken Ramen, were created in 1958 and the product was brought out as Japan recovered after World War II and entered a period of economic expansion.

It was Mr Ando’s stroke of genius of providing a waterproof polystyrene container for the noodles that made his Cup Noodle an instant success in 1971.

Japanese newspapers and business people have been paying tribute to Mr Ando, who remained active until just days before his death.

Comment on this article