Concluding Remarks

In Hong Kong, although the local noodle stalls have a long history and the noodles they offer are comparatively at a lower price, they were soon vanquished by the Japanese noodle shops. It shows that the traditional family owned type of business is no longer suitable unless they are willing to change and incorporate with effective management and strategies. It is especially true for those businesses that planned to take on the global market.

Ramen traces its roots to Chinese cookery, but today it is prepared in an unquestionably Japanese style and has become a favorite dish among Japanese consumers. Beyond that, the Japanese were able to perceive future needs and developed the ramen into instant noodle and cup noodle that successfully penetrated global markets and left an enduring effect on the global food culture. This success depended on persistent research and development and the adoption of advance technologies, quality control, promotion and distribution. It is worthy to note that most Chinese instant noodle brands sold in Western countries such as “Pot Noodle” are manufactured and distributed by Western companies. The same is true for other instant Chinese foods such as pork and beef “Jerky”.

In view of the success of the Japanese Food development, the Chinese food industry should learn a good lesson. They should look ahead and perceive the future demand of the global market instead of always being a follower. More time and money should be spent on research and development in order to extend their original idea. Lack of persistency and advance technologies, unwillingness to change, poor management and quality control, had been the typical hindrance to the success of traditional Chinese business. There are thousands of unique foods from different regions that have yet to be introduced to the world market. Therefore, there is a lot of potential of development for the Chinese food industry.

However, because of recent health and environmental concerns, the outlook for instant noodle and other instant foods has become cloudy.  With a movement towards the use of natural foods and retro-design products, it may turn out after all that the traditional Chinese noodle stall may make a comeback.