Chinese media outlet Mainichi Keizai Shimbun (Daily Economic News) published an article on the 12th titled, "Why are instant noodles selling again?"

In China, it was once said that "instant noodles no longer sold," but recently, sales seem to be recovering. According to the article, in the first half of 2026, for food giant Tingyi (Kang师傅), instant noodle sales increased across all price ranges, while the mineral water and juice businesses (fruit processing businesses) struggled.

According to Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding Corp.'s first-half results, announced on August 11, revenue increased by 1.1% year-on-year to 40.545 billion yuan (approx. 957 billion yen), and profit attributable to owners of the parent (net profit) increased by 7.1% to 2.433 billion yuan (approx. 57.5 billion yen). The gross profit margin increased by 1.3 percentage points to 35.8%.

Looking at by product, the beverage business was the largest source of revenue, with first-half revenue increasing by 0.7% to 26.541 billion yuan (approx. 626 billion yen), accounting for 65.5% of the group's total revenue. During the same period, due to the optimization of the product portfolio, the gross profit margin of the beverage segment increased by 0.7 percentage points year-on-year to 38.4%.

There was a mixed picture across beverage categories. "Tea" was the only category to see a year-on-year increase in the first half, with sales increasing by 9.1% to 11.64 billion yuan (approx. 275 billion yen). Meanwhile, mineral water decreased by 4.9% to 2.259 billion yuan (approx. 53.3 billion yen), juice by 13% to 2.572 billion yuan (approx. 60.8 billion yen), and carbonated drinks and others by 2.8% to 10.07 billion yuan (approx. 237 billion yen).

The instant noodle business was the second largest revenue segment, with first-half revenue increasing by 2.0% to 13.733 billion yuan (approx. 325 billion yen), accounting for 33.9% of the group's total revenue. The gross profit of this segment also improved, with the gross profit margin rising by 2.5 percentage points to 30.3%.

On China's SNS Weibo, the title "Why are instant noodles selling again?" trended. Netizens commented one after another with opinions about difficult living conditions, such as: "Because job competition is fierce and we are poor," "Because food delivery is too expensive," "Because delivery became too expensive to afford," "Because the economy is worsening. Even delivery is too expensive to order," "When unemployed, only instant noodles can be eaten," and "We have no choice but to get by with instant noodles."

Furthermore, sarcastic comments about the gap between media reports and real-life feelings were also seen, such as "The state TV news program 'Xinwen Lianbo' just said 'China's economy is improving amidst stability' (sarcastic tone)," "The news reports that people overseas are all living difficult lives (sarcastic tone)," and "If you watch 'Xinwen Lianbo,' you'll be happy for life."

In addition, several comments citing food safety as a reason were also seen, such as "It's cleaner and tastier than prepared dishes or delivery. I certainly bought a lot of instant noodles this past year," "Instant noodles are far healthier than pre-cooked foods (served at restaurants, delivered, or sold in supermarkets) that have been left in the fridge for 2-3 years," "Instant noodles are hygienic. I've only seen negative news about delivery in recent years," and "Because I realized instant noodles are healthier (crying emoji)."