News Noodles and other cheaper staples overtake rice

Amid a continuing rice shortage and rising prices, major food manufacturer Nisshin Seifun Group Inc. reported a notable increase in shipments of pasta and pasta sauces. During a recent earnings briefing, executives noted that pasta sales for fiscal 2024 increased by 3.4% compared to the previous year. They attributed this growth in part to pasta's adaptability in flavour and sauce pairings, which appeals to consumers seeking more variety in their meals. Some supermarkets, facing persistent rice shortages, have reportedly begun steering customers toward pasta as an alternative. At Pietro Co., a Fukuoka-based company specialising in pasta sauces, sales of related products rose sharply by approximately 30% year-over-year in fiscal 2024. Company leadership noted that the frequency of pasta appearing at dinner increased by around 15% in February, with higher rice prices playing a significant role in the trend. Even basic noodle toppings and condiments have seen heightened demand as consumers adjust their eating habits.

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salyavin said:

We had hiyashi chuka yesterday. Another summer noodle dish. Hiyashi chūka - Wikipedia

Many of us here are not sure what foreign tourists are familiar with any more as we have been intertwined with Japan for decades haha.

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The price for the regular hiyashi chuka was 950 yen (roughly $6.50) until 2022, then rose to 1,050 yen ($7.10) in 2023, and to 1,200 yen ($8.10) in 2024, with a further rise to 1,300 yen ($8.80) in 2025. Soaring ingredient costs drive the price hikes.

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mdchachi said:

Wait, I thought noodles were supposed to be a cheaper staple than rice. What's driving the increase for hiyashi chuka?

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On July 18, pork traded at 948 yen per kilogram at the Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market, the highest since records began in 2000. Additionally, according to major egg wholesaler JA.Z-Tamago. Co., the wholesale price of medium-sized chicken eggs in the Tokyo area was 328 yen per kg in July, significantly exceeding the July average of 224 yen from 2020 to 2024. Moreover, hiyashi chuka requires more preparation and cooking effort. While ramen typically uses about four ingredients, chilled Chinese noodles involves around 10. With rising labor costs, the manual tasks of evenly slicing cucumbers and char siu, and using 70 to 80 kg of ice daily to chill the noodles, are significant burdens. Bazoku manager Mitsutaka Mori reveals, "We can't easily stop because of our loyal customers who come every year, but hiyashi chuka costs two to three times more in terms of outlay and labor compared to hot noodle dishes, and the profit margin has significantly decreased."

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• Tendon Tenya chain has been increasing the number of soba-based menu items, including set meals that pair soba noodles with tempura rice bowls, to ease the impact of rising rice prices on its core tendon offerings while encouraging customers to spend slightly more per visit. Masataka Abe, the president of Royal Holdings Co., which runs the chain, said that higher ingredient costs had at times made price rises unavoidable, and that the company intended to respond by actively proposing alternative products.
• Major supermarket operator Summit Inc. is seeing a decline in rice sales while customers increasingly turn to cheaper options such as pasta, bread and rice noodles. President Tetsuya Hattori said that the company was actively pushing these products in response to the shift.
• Lawson Inc. increased its barley purchases by about 20% from the previous fiscal year to expand its range of barley onigiri. The company views barley as more price-stable than rice and better suited to current health-oriented preferences, noting that demand for lower-priced barley products has been strong. Fumiki Mizushima, who oversees ready-made meals in Lawson's product division, stated barley procurement would be increased further and that preparations were underway to broaden the selection of bread and noodles as alternatives to rice.