Ramen maker Nissin launches frozen food brand for health-conscious consumers

Instant ramen pioneer Nissin Foods is moving beyond the cup and into frozen foods with an offering aimed at GLP-1 users and other health-conscious consumers looking for nutrient-dense meals, Food Dive reported.

Kanzen Meal is the Japanese company’s first U.S. innovation in the single-serve frozen meal category and one it hopes will fill a void in the freezer aisle.

Healthier frozen food brands largely focus on restricting calories, Bob Little, Kanzen Meal’s CEO, said in an interview. Consumers in Nissin’s focus groups complained they were often hungry a few hours after eating these meals, forcing them to have another helping or add ingredients such as cheese to make it more filling.

Nutrient density, or the content of nutrients per calorie, has become more important to consumers, Nissin found. Increased usage of GLP-1 weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy can suppress appetite, making it more important for these consumers to pack additional nutrients into smaller portions.

Each of the three Kanzen Meal dishes — Spaghetti Bolognese, Fettuccine Alfredo and Shrimp Teriyaki — has up to 23 grams of protein, 10 grams of fiber and one-third of the recommended daily values of all 27 essential vitamins and minerals. The single-serve meals contain between 460 and 520 calories.

Kanzen Meal will launch two other dishes, Spaghetti Carbonara and Spicy Dan Dan Noodles, later this fall.

The frozen meal line is a change for the 70-year-old Nissin, which brought in more than $5 billion in revenue last year. The Japanese company is best known for its Cup Noodles, which Little conceded weren’t designed for the health-conscious consumer.

“Kanzen Meal is a critical growth pillar for Nissin Foods,” he said. “The reason why we’re launching Kanzen Meal is to establish a healthy brand in the United States.”

While Kanzen Meal was developed before the GLP-1 trend took off in the U.S., it fits squarely with the nutritional needs of consumers who are taking these medications. The drugs force people to eat less, but their bodies still need protein, fiber and other essential nutrients.

“The trend in GLP-1 has really heightened the American consumer’s focus and awareness on nutrient density and the need for it, and that’s our wheelhouse,” Little said. “I would not want to specifically position ourselves as a GLP-1 [food.] That’s not our objective. We are certainly friendly to anyone who’s looking for nutrient density, including those consumers.”

Nissin worked with Michelin star chefs to perfect the taste of the Kanzen Meal products. The food maker then determined the nutrient levels in each dish based on the ingredients and whether it needed to fortify them to reach a desired level, or if something needed to be removed.

In the case of Spaghetti Bolognese, Nissin kept the saturated fat levels low and balanced the macronutrient levels by using a blend of textured vegetable protein and meat.

The five initial varieties will launch in specialty stores throughout the West and Southeast before expanding nationally in 2026.