Instant Noodle Sales Rise | Social Media Gets Involved

Popularized on screen in Squid Game and in Parasitethe famous instant Asian noodles are multiplying on the shelves of grocery stores and convenience stores in Quebec. Pharmacies like Jean Coutu have also joined in the dance and are even posting videos on TikTok. An overview.

Sales up and social networks

“We received our famous noodles, they are the Buldak. We have four flavours here in store. We will try them for you.” In a video posted on TikTok, an employee at a Jean Coutu branch in Châteauguay promotes the Korean brand product by preparing the popular noodle dish in front of the camera. She even gives her advice: add a little milk, use hot sauce sparingly. Costco is also promoting it on the same social network.

“It’s actually a product that we’ve had in stores for a few months and sales are going well,” confirms Jean Coutu spokesperson Catherine Latendresse.

“We have seen a significant increase in sales of ramen and instant noodles over the past year,” says Geneviève Poirier, Loblaw’s communications manager (Maxi, Provigo). “Faced with growing demand, we have even expanded our offering and now offer a wider variety of flavours, formats and popular brands. At Maxi, we now have more than 170 different products in this category.”

IGA and Metro have also recorded an increase in noodle sales since the beginning of the year. By visiting stores of the different brands, The Press has been able to see that the space reserved for these products on the shelves is increasingly important.

Simplicity and indulgence

One of the great qualities of chicken, shrimp and even carbonara-style noodles is their ease of preparation, says Guillaume Mathieu, partner and co-founder of Ilot, which specializes in strategy and brand management in the food sector. “Since the return to normal, after the pandemic, consumers are looking for simplicity. And there is nothing simpler than adding boiling water to a container,” he illustrates.

Their popularity has also been driven by a strong presence on social networks, Mr. Mathieu also acknowledges. “A quarter of consumers aged 16 to 34 say they are inspired by TikTok to determine what they are going to eat,” he says, recalling the data collected as part of Broth 2023-2024a study conducted by Ilot and Léger to understand the relationship that Quebecers have with food.

“And these products, because they are spicy, are marketed as a challenge. We say to people: are you brave enough to taste these products?”

Low price, but high salt

Affordable price and ease of storage are also arguments that succeed in convincing many consumers to put packets of noodles in their shopping cart.

“It’s one of the worst ultra-processed meals. It’s extremely salty,” says Maryse Côté-Hamel, assistant professor of consumer sciences at Université Laval. “However, in terms of calories, by weight, and in relation to what it costs, it’s excellent. Someone who has to eat at a very low cost can get a good amount of calories.”

In various supermarkets, the famous noodles are sometimes sold at $0.39 for a 85 gram pack and their price rarely exceeds $6 for a quantity of about 500 grams.

“Before, it was considered a poor man’s meal. Now, it’s better perceived. It’s democratized.” And retailers seem to have understood this.

Watch the TikTok video of Jean Coutu in Châteauguay