The 8th World Instant Noodles Summit is to open at the Renaissance Tianjin TEDA Convention Centre Hotel in Tianjin, China during May 19-21, 2012.

The biennial summit, themed "Instant Noodles for Better Life-Safety, Delicacy, Convenience," is organized by the World Instant Noodles Association (WINA) and hosted by Tianjin-based Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding Corporation, China's leading instant noodles maker.

The three-day event will include several programs such as a Board of Governors Meeting, General Meeting, market report presentations, forums, exhibitions, a joint press conference and gala dinners.

A total of 163 businesses from 25 countries and regions are expected to join the event to discuss issues on instant noodles and its relation to food safety, disaster relief, nutrition and health.

Instant noodles, since their birth in Japan in 1958, have been consumed worldwide as a popular meal substitute, second only to bread, for its ready-to-eat features, convenience, excellent preservation, delicacy and hygiene. The food is playing an even more important role in people's daily life as a way to solve food shortage, ensuring catering safety and making life better.

According to the WINA, about 98.2 billion packets/cups of instant noodles were eaten worldwide in 2011, with China consuming some 42.5 billion packets/cups, accounting for about 43 percent of the world's total. It was followed by Indonesia (14.5 billion), Japan (5.5 billion), Vietnam (4.9 billion), the U.S. (4 billion) and South Korea (3.6 billion).

The 1st World Instant Noodles Summit was hosted by the Japan Convenience Foods Industry Association in Tokyo on Mar. 4-5, 1997. Participants exchanged information about the common environmental and technical issues on the international food "instant noodles".

During the 1st summit, the International Ramen Manufacturers Association (IRMA), later changed its name into WINA in 2007, was launched by Momofuku Ando (1910-2007), the inventor of instant noodles, with the goal of promoting the sound development of the instant noodles industry and making contributions to improving people's lives.

Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding Corporation, founded in 1992, was a trend-setting pioneer in China's instant noodles industry, as well as in beverages and bakery goods. The Tianjin-based company has spurred the rapid development of the instant noodles industry in China, changed people's conception of instant noodles as a humble and low-quality product, and revolutionized the traditional culinary culture by blending it with modern lifestyle.