September 18, 1971

On September 18, 1971, the first Cup Noodle was sold and people loved it. The story of where Cup Noodle, and instant ramen, came from is compelling.   

Japan was suffering from food shortages after World War II. The Ministry of Health tried to encourage people to eat bread made from wheat flour that was supplied by the US. A man named Momofuku Ando inquired why bread was recommended instead of noodles, which were more familiar to the Japanese. The Ministry's response was that noodle companies were too small and unstable to satisfy supply needs, so Ando decided to develop the production of noodles by himself.  

Ando first invented Chicken Ramen in 1958 but his pièce de résistance was to come in 1971. Ando began the sales of his most famous product, Cup Noodle on September 18, 1971. Instant ramen soon became a booming business. Worldwide demand reached 98 billion servings in 2009. 

Ando once said, "Peace will come to the world when the people have enough to eat."