In May 2023, WINA published the global demand for instant noodles 2022. It’s the largest ever at 121.2 billion servings, and the demand is growing year by year.
 Rice is another staple food in the world, and how much rice is consumed? (In last year's WINA newsletter, we referred the global consumption of pasta. Unfortunately, the latest data was not available, so we will compare it next year.)
 According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the global rice consumption 2022 is 518.77 million tons¹⁾, which is equivalent to about 7.4 trillion servings if we assume that each serving is approximately 70 grams. Rice consumption seems to be increasing year by year coupled with population growth, and it is expected to increase next year as well.
 Traditionally, rice has been used in many foods such as sake, rice cakes and snacks, indicating it is a grain which is very familiar to people around the world.
 Rice cultivation has an ancient history, having begun in 5000 BC²⁾、which is about 7,000 years ago. Instant noodles born in 1958 are still young, compared to rice. However, as people's lifestyles and tastes change, we’ve respected unchanging values which are 1. Delicious taste, 2. safety, 3. convenience, 4. preservability, 5. affordability. At the same time, we are working on nutrition/health and environmental-sustainability in order to be loved continuously now and forever around the world.（WINA Secretariat）