Lucky Me (noodles)

Lucky Me!

Product type	Instant noodles
Owner	Monde Nissin
Country	Philippines
Introduced	November 1989; 36 years ago (1989-11)
Markets	Worldwide
Tagline	Happy We!
Website	www.luckyme.ph

Lucky Me! is a Philippine instant noodle brand owned by Monde Nissin.^[1] It is currently the leading instant noodle brand in the Philippines, with a product line that includes pouch noodles, cup noodles, and various pasta products.

History

On November 1, 1989, Monde Denmark Nissin Biscuit Corporation (now Monde Nissin) entered the instant noodle segment with Lucky Me!. It launched Instant Mami, noodle with soup in pouches, in beef and chicken variants. Eventually, these became their fastest-selling products.

1991 saw the introduction of Lucky Me! Pancit Canton, the first dry stir-fry pouched noodles in the Philippine market. It was then followed in 1995 by Lucky Me! Supreme in La Paz Batchoy flavor, marketed as the first Filipino dish-flavored no-cook cup noodles. In 2009, the brand introduced Lucky Me! Special, which was later split into "True to Taste" and "Pasta" lines. This expansion included noodles based on local and international flavors such as Lomi (egg noodles in seafood flavor), Jjamppong (spicy Korean noodles), Curly Spaghetti, Baked Mac, Mac & Cheez, and Cheese Ramyun.

Kantar Worldpanel cited Lucky Me! in their 2014 Brand Footprint Report as the most chosen and purchased consumer brand in the Philippines, reaching almost all Filipino households.^[2]

Products

Lucky Me! produces a wide variety of noodle products catering to different tastes and preparation methods.

Instant Mami

The brand's flagship soup noodle product. It is cooked by boiling the noodles in water and adding the included seasoning pack.

• **Core Flavors:** Beef na Beef (Beef), Chicken na Chicken (Chicken).
• **Other Variants:** Spicy Beef, Spicy Chicken (Chicken Mami with sili).

Pancit Canton

Introduced in 1991, this line popularized "dry" instant noodles in the country, modeled after the traditional Filipino Pancit Canton. It is boiled, drained, and mixed with soy sauce, oil, and seasoning powder. The packaging is often color-coded by flavor:

• **Original:** (Yellow packaging)
• **Calamansi:** (Green packaging)
• **Chilimansi:** A combination of spicy chili and calamansi lime (Green and Orange packaging).
• **Sweet & Spicy:** (Orange packaging)
• **Hot Chili:** (Red packaging)

Supreme

The "Supreme" line consists of cup noodles designed for convenience, requiring only hot water.

• **Flavors:** La Paz Batchoy, Bulalo, Seafood, Spicy Seafood, and Mini variants (Jjamppong, Sotanghon).

Specialties

• **Lomi:** An instant version of the thick egg noodle soup.
• **Milky Me:** A noodle soup variant that includes a separate milk powder pack to create a creamy broth, often marketed toward children.
• **Pasta:** Instant spaghetti and macaroni and cheese products.

Marketing and advocacy

Lucky Me! is noted for its high-visibility marketing campaigns that focus heavily on family values. The brand utilizes the slogan "Happy We" to emphasize the communal aspect of dining.

In 2007, the brand launched the Kainang Pamilya Mahalaga (Family Meals are Important) advocacy. This campaign encourages Filipino families to eat together as frequently as possible, citing research that shared family meals lead to better social and emotional development for children. In 2009, via Presidential Proclamation 326, the fourth Monday of September was declared "Kainang Pamilya Mahalaga Day" in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Manufacturing

The primary manufacturing facility for Lucky Me! is located in Santa Rosa, Laguna. The facility, known as the "Monde Nissin Noodle Factory," was previously open to educational field trips for elementary and high school students. The tour showcased the production line, demonstrating how flour is processed, steamed, cut, and fried or air-dried to create instant noodle blocks.

Health and safety issues

On July 8, 2022, multiple countries in Europe as well as Taiwan issued health warnings regarding Lucky Me! products due to the reported presence of ethylene oxide, resulting in recalls in several countries.^[3] Monde Nissin denied the claims, stating that the products are FDA registered and comply with food safety standards. They explained that ethylene oxide is used only to inhibit microbial growth in spices, and trace amounts may remain after processing into seasonings and sauces. These trace amounts, the company claims, are compliant even within US Food and Drug Administration standards.^[4]

Logo, text, and packaging

Lucky Me! Instant Mami

When introduced in 1989, the packaging for the two primary flavors—red for chicken and blue for beef—featured background colors corresponding to the flavor. The white section of the package displayed four cartoon cows for the beef variant and four cartoon chickens for the chicken variant.^{[citation needed]}

In 1999, the animal illustrations below the wordmark were replaced with images of the cooked noodles, while the animal motifs were moved to the background pattern. When the Lucky Me! logo was updated in 2002, most design elements from the 1999 series were retained.^{[citation needed]}

The current packaging features a bowl of cooked noodles on the left, angled toward the viewer, alongside the wordmarks "Lucky Me!" and the flavor designator ("Beef na Beef" or "Chicken na Chicken").^{[citation needed]}

Pancit Canton

When the Lucky Me! Pancit Canton brand was introduced in 1991, the "Pancit Canton" wordmark was set in a slanted Helvetica Condensed font. This design was used until 1998. In 1998, the wordmark font was changed to TW Cen Condensed Black, italicized, and aligned horizontally. This version was used until 2010. In 2002, the main Lucky Me! logo was updated.^{[citation needed]}

In early 2010, the text was reverted to a non-italicized style and the font was changed for a third time. In 2018, the logo underwent a slight modification where the text alignment of “Pancit Canton” was shifted from left-aligned to centered.^{[citation needed]}

The "Pancit Canton" text was changed again in February 2022, replacing the 2010 version. The text color, which had been red since the product's launch in 1991, was changed to white. This update coincided with a new Lucky Me! logo and a general overhaul of the packaging design.^{[citation needed]}

Between 1991 and 2010, the packaging displayed the product image below the text "Lucky Me! Instant Pancit Canton." Since early 2010, the product image has been positioned to the left of the logo and text.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• List of instant noodle brands
• Filipino cuisine

References

1. "Lucky Me!". Yummy Kitchen. August 10, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
2. "Lucky Me, is the Most Chosen Brand in the Philippines, Kantar Worldpanel Brand Footprint Reveals". Pana.com.ph. September 15, 2013. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
3. "Lucky Me! insists noodles comply with FDA standards after EU, Taiwan recall". coconuts.co/manila/. July 8, 2022. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
4. John Viktor D., Cabuenas (July 7, 2022). "Lucky Me! says products safe to eat, ethylene oxide used in treatment of materials". GMA Network. Archived from the original on August 31, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2022.