How your favorite instant pancit canton is made

We visited Lucky Me!’s plant in Batangas and here’s what we discovered

Filipinos are big fans of noodle dishes. Our passion for it can be seen throughout history, with each household having unique takes on how they want their pancits and other noodle soups made. And if there is a sudden craving for it, instant noodle soups and pancit canton can definitely satiate anyone’s hunger. Among Filipino’s beloved brands is Monde Nissin Corporation’s Lucky Me! products. 

Since 1989, the company has been offering instant chicken and beef mami to Filipinos. A few years later, it introduced to them the first dry noodle product, which is the pancit canton. With its more than three-decade legacy in the food industry, almost every Filipino home has a Lucky Me! product stored in their pantry. Many of us today grew up eating it, making it a meal full of nostalgia. 

But through the years of enjoying it, did you ever wonder how the brand’s pancit canton and noodle soup products make it to your table? Last August, Manila Bulletin Lifestyle got the chance to see how their signature products are made. For the first time, the company opened its factory in Malvar, Batangas to give a peak at how the pancit canton and mami are created, from preparing the noodle dough to their end-stage in packaging. 

How instant noodle products are made

There are eight stages in the pancit canton and mami-making process. Prior to that, wheat sourced from the US, Australia, and Canada is turned into flour in the company’s plant in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and then shipped to Batangas. The first part of the process is the mixing. It is where wheat flour is mixed with water to create the dough for the noodles. The equipment owner leads and checks the standard of the dough as it goes through a giant mixer.

After letting the dough rest comes the next part which is the flattening. Large rollers flatten the dough to get the right thickness and smoothness of the noodles. The dough is then cut and curled. Its curly shape allows the noodles to be cooked quicker as steam settles into the tight spaces made by the curled noodles. The fourth stage involves steaming. For five minutes, the noodles go through a steaming tunnel, gelatinizing their starch. 

The warm noodles are then cut and folded. Noodle cakes come in two shapes, square for the soup variant and round for the pancit canton. To remove extra moisture and to help them last longer, the noodle cakes are then fried. To prepare it for packaging, the warm noodles are cooled down by cold air with the help of a giant electric fan. In the cooling process, crumbs are also removed. The last part is the packaging. The noodles meet their seasonings and are slid into wrappers by machines. 

Making their products safe for consumption is always a top priority at Monde Nissin Corporation. During the walk-through in the factory, tour guides note that no human hands touched the products as machines do the work. Employees use tablets or iPads in inputting data during production. They also pointed out that no artificial preservatives are used in making the instant noodles and pancit canton.  They use green tea extract instead to prolong the shelf life of their products, making them last for six months after manufacturing. 

To summarize, the process involves mixing, flattening, curling, steaming, cutting, frying, cooling, and packing.

Concerns about ethylene oxide

Last July, reports abroad about Lucky Me! products being recalled in some parts of Europe and Asia due to traces of the chemical ethylene oxide spread on social media. According to the Food and Drug Administration, “ethylene oxide is used as treatment against the microbiological contamination of some spices and dried aromatic herbs like sesame seeds” and that “exposure to the substance should be minimized as ‘there may be health issues if there is continued consumption of ethylene oxide over a long period of time.’”

Through a video, the company clears the issue stating that “there’s no ethylene oxide in finished products because it dissipates quickly.” The chemical boils quickly at 10.7° Celsius and “nearly all ethylene oxide will be gone even before any raw material will be packed and shipped.” Furthermore, any traces of it will be gone during its journey in the supply chain and other processes before it gets to the table. 

Continuing its mission as the ‘pambansang noodles’

Monde Nissin Corporation is proud of its latest innovations in its new plant in Malvar, Batangas. Just became operational last August 2021, the plant presents a highly efficient and highly automated facility, and seeing its employees work on the product in the space was truly an eye-opening experience. 

“We employ a flow-through design and flow-to-work organization, which means a smoother process from noodle production to the warehouse and less human intervention,” the company says. “We also integrated and improved the process flow with our co-located DC warehouse. We also implemented automation and work solutions through our technology and IT resources.”

Whether it is for a quick breakfast, a side dish to add to the lunch and dinner table, or a late-night treat to share with friends, we can definitely say that pancit canton is still one of the OGs when it comes to comfort food dining at home and anywhere.

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