Here’s all the noteworthy noodle news you may have missed in October 2026. We’ve got several new product announcements, a new world record to report, and one of the most bizarre instant noodle tie-in products you’ve ever seen. Read on for all the details!
A-Sha Announces New Flavors at Albertson’s Stores
Over on Instagram, A-Sha showed that it is debuting two new noodle products exclusive to “select locations” of Albertson’s grocery stores in the USA (I would assume this includes all Albertson’s chains like Safeway, Vons, Acme, etc.). One is a Hello Kitty and Friends Chicken Noodle Soup cup, released under A-Sha’s “Prince Katsu” branding, and it looks to be holiday-themed with a festive Christmas design on the cup. The other is a 4-pack of Hello Kitty Spicy Seaweed Mandarin Noodles; these are labeled “very spicy” and are most likely a Taiwanese take on Buldak. I’m very interested in the Spicy Seaweed noodles but don’t have many Albertson’s-owned stores around me except for Acme, so I’ll review those if I can actually find them in person.
A-Sha Also Announces New Target Flavors
Also courtesy of their Instagram, A-Sha has announced several more Hello Kitty products that will be in Target stores, including mochi snacks, a boba kit, and the one I care most about: an 8-pack Holiday Noodle Box containing 4 packs each of Umami Danzai noodles and Scallion Soy noodles. Most likely these are a repackaging of existing Danzai and Scallion flavors, but we’ll see if I can verify that once I see them in-store.
Kraft Mac & Cheese Ramen Flavors
You may have missed it, but Kraft released a limited-edition Chicken Ramen Mac & Cheese flavor earlier this year in the US (that looks like it wasn’t particularly well-received), and now they’ve announced that we’ll see a trio of additional Mac & Cheese Cheesy Ramen bowls in early 2027. These will be different from the Canadian Kraft Dinner flavors I covered back in the June news post – we’ll see Pork, Chicken, and Spicy flavors on store shelves instead. I’ve heard some mixed things about the Canadian varieties, so who knows how these will turn out.
Myojo Releases Ippei-Chan Bowls in the USA
This one has me excited. Myojo’s Ippei-Chan with Mustard Mayonnaise is my favorite yakisoba product of all time (this far in my noodle journey, anyway), even making my 2024 Top 10 List, but it’s occasionally hard to find in the USA unless you’re ordering from a specialty site that imports noodles from Japan. It’s never had an official US release in bowl/tray form – until now. Myojo has now released a brand-new Ippei-Chan Yakisoba microwaveable bowl to the US market, and the best part is it uses their fresh vacuum-sealed noodles instead of dried noodles! I can’t wait to try these. If the sauce and mayo recipes are the same as in the Japanese bowls, this is going to be a killer product.
Nongshim Officially Unveils More Noodle Fit Flavors
Last month I talked about the two Nongshim Noodle Fit bowls I spotted at Walmart, and it looks like their social media accounts have finally caught up with reality, as this month they revealed the entire lineup, and it turns out there are three more products in the line that I haven’t spotted in the wild. In addition to Spicy Beef and Mild Gomtang rice noodle bowls, there are also three protein-heavy ramyun noodle bowls in the mix: Vegan Spicy Beef, Mild Chicken, and Spicy Beef Bone Broth flavors. I’m very curious to see how Nongshim has handled adding the additional protein in these bowls, since many brands making protein-heavy ramen can’t seem to nail a proper noodle texture or flavor. No mention is made of where the three ramyun bowls will be sold, but the rice noodle bowls are showing up at Walmart stores.
Ramen Bae Now in Target Stores
This one makes me happy to see: Ramen Bae, one of the premier brands of dried instant noodle toppings, is now available in Target stores throughout the USA. The current product lineup is a smaller sampling of what Ramen Bae sells on their website, but the availability of smaller protein ramen packs and 6oz bags of topping mixes will surely make people who don’t want to pay for the larger bags happy. Available options include two toppings, Spicy Garlic Mix and their original Seafood Mix, plus four Protein Ramen varieties: Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry, Korean Spicy Chicken Stir Fry, Original Stir Fry, and Chicken Soup. I’ll be putting a poll on the channel’s YouTube Community page soon to see which one of these you’d like to see me review, now that I don’t have to pay through the nose to order the ramen packs online.
Crafty Ramen Expands to Target and Kroger
Here’s something a little different for the freezer aisle. Canadian brand Crafty Ramen has announced nationwide availability at Target and Kroger, adding to its existing US retailers. These aren’t your usual dried instant noodles: each serving is a frozen “puck” of broth, noodles, meat, vegetables, and toppings that you heat on the stove or in a microwave-safe bowl. The company started as a ramen restaurant in Ontario and still makes its noodles in-house there. The lineup includes Spicy Chicken Tantanmen, Brisket Birria, Chicken Shoyu, Spicy Pork Miso, and Shiitake Pork Shoyu, with a suggested retail price of $7.99 each. That’s obviously a lot more than a pack of instant ramen, but you’re also getting a complete frozen meal rather than dried noodles and a soup packet, and to be fair it is still cheaper than most restaurant ramen in the US. Frozen ramen is something I rarely cover, but this looks interesting enough that I will likely grab one if I see them.
Major Korean Ramyun Brands Face Price-Fixing Investigation
And now for some less cheerful industry news. According to SBS News, South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission began on-site inspections at Nongshim, Samyang, Ottogi, and Paldo on October 28 as part of an investigation into suspected ramyun price-fixing. Investigators are looking into whether the companies coordinated their prices, which is a pretty significant story considering how many familiar noodle products come from those four manufacturers. To be clear, an investigation is not proof that any of them did anything wrong, and the commission declined to confirm details of individual cases. We’ll have to see what comes out of this, but it’s worth keeping an eye on when so many of the brands that made me fall in love with instant noodles are involved.
Buldak Celebrates a World Record with a Music Video
Samyang’s ever-popular Buldak product line just made history with a Guinness World Record title. The record in question is a highly specific “most people eating Buldak on social media in one hour,” in which 335 people recorded themselves eating Buldak and uploaded the videos to TikTok in the same one-hour timeframe. Yeah, this is obviously a marketing stunt and it’s very much a “Who gives a shit?” record in my opinion, but there is an accompanying music video called “Crave the Burn” that you can watch on YouTube if such a thing interests you.
Buldak Now Available as a… Lip Balm?!
And finally, speaking of Buldak, you can now get all of the flavor of original Buldak and Buldak Carbonara sauce in the form of a lip balm, of all things. You read that correctly: Glow Recipe has collaborated with Samyang to produce two lip balms that tingle your lips with spicy Buldak flavor. I guess I have to admit this is a little innovative, but also maybe a bridge too far with the Buldak craze. Needless to say, I won’t be reviewing these – I hate the texture of lip balm and I just have zero interest in making my lips feel spicy when I’m not eating. If these interest you, more power to you, and feel free to leave a comment letting me know how they feel!
