TOKYO - Mr Momofuku Ando, the man credited with inventing instant noodles, will bow out of the business limelight at age 95, after seeing his cups of quick, hot and inexpensive meals sweep the world.
The entrepreneur - who entered the food business when Japan was hungry after World War II - lived to watch his invention stocked on the shelves of omnipresent convenience stores and become an international favourite for people on the go.
Mr Ando, who remains in excellent health and goes to the office every day, will resign as chairman and representative director at Nissin Food Products on June 29 at his own request, said the company in the western Japanese city of Osaka. The business tycoon, born in 1910, founded the predecessor to Nissin Food Products in 1948 and invented the world's first instant noodle - "Chicken Ramen" noodles sold in bags - in 1958. He launched the cup version in 1971. As "Cup Noodles" have swept the world - and been widely replicated - Nissin now boasts annual sales exceeding 300 billion yen ($4.6 billion).
"I am 95 years old. I have lived for nearly a century," said Mr Ando said in a statement on his resignation. "I decided to devote myself to the food business when I saw people starving to death amid a post-war food shortage. I was sure the world could be peaceful only after having enough food.
"I invented instant noodles ... because I could imagine how happy people would be if I delivered to households ramen they can eat any time, anywhere and safely. It was as simple as that," he said.
Mr Ando added he wanted to pass the baton to younger management while he was fine. The resignation does not mean he will retire, though. "The company accepted his resignation as he was firmly determined. But he agreed to hold a newly-created post of founding chairman and keep advising the company from a broad perspective," a Nissin spokesman said. - AFP
my all-time favourite instant noodles are:
Indomie Mi Goreng
Nissin Ramen Original (Sesame Oil)
Myojo Thai Tom Yam
Myojo Mee Poh Dry 
Myojo Chicken TanmenCheck out the Momofuko Ando Instant Ramen Museum
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