THE abundance of pre-packaged instant foods available in supermarkets around the world can perhaps be seen as a sign of the times. While our grandparents lived in a world in which people had plenty of time to share conversation over a leisurely breakfast, lunch or dinner at home, many people today barely have time to wolf down a pile of food before running off to check the next item from their ‘to-do’ list.

To compensate for this lack of time, increasing numbers of people are relying on instant foods to fulfill their nutritional needs.

Since their appearance in the 1980s the list of instant foods available in Myanmar has grown to include coffee, tea, noodles and other items.

The Ma Ma brand of instant noodles first hit the Myanmar market in 1995. Imported from Thailand, the product disappeared from store shelves after a short time only to re-emerge in 2003, after Ayeyarwaddy Food Industries Co. Ltd secured a licence to produce the noodles in Myanmar.

“By the time it reappeared, the Ma Ma brand was already known among some wholesalers because it was the first brand of instant noodles to be marketed in the country,” said Ko Kaung Naing Soe, the marketing manager of Ayeyarwaddy Food Industries.

However, by then several more brands of instant noodles had reached the domestic market, including Yum Yum from Thailand, introduced in 1997, followed by Mamee from Malaysia, which now has the second-biggest market share in Myanmar.

Other brands include Tomo and Shin Shin.“Ma Ma now has a market share of about 15 to 20 per cent, but Yum Yum has the biggest share of the market,” said Ko Kaung Naing Soe.

Ma Ma markets chicken-flavoured noodles and hot and sour prawn-flavoured noodles, as well as oily noodles (si-chet) with vegetarian and chicken flavours.

Ko Kaung Naing Soe said the Ma Ma products manufactured in Myanmar are of the same quality as those produced in Thailand, but the flavours have been changed slightly to suit the tastes of Myanmar consumers.

He also said Ma Ma products contain no chemicals, and are hygienic because they can be made and eaten quickly.

“Our noodles can be eaten immediately after they are cooked for three minutes in boiling water,” he said.

Yum Yum products, which have the largest share of the noodle market in the country, are available in nine flavours including the latest release – the traditional Myanmar ohnoe noodle.

“According to our research we hold 60 per cent of the market in Myanmar,” said Ko Wai Pyoe Lin, the managing director of Cho Cho Co. Ltd, which produces Yum Yum.

Yum Yum noodles are produced in Myanmar under licence from the main company in Thailand, where the brand holds the number three spot in the noodle market.

“I think our brand is popular in Myanmar because we keep the price and quality consistent,” Ko Wai Pyoe said.

The company has earned 9001:2000 certification from the International Organisation for Standardisation for quality control, and last December won Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) awards for its hygiene practices.