In recent days, the news that Profeco (Federal Consumer Protection Agency) would withdraw the famous Maruchan soup and other instant soups from the market caused a stir on social media, so much so that several people engaged in panic buying, while social media users let their imaginations run wild to create a wave of memes about it.

However, despite the information circulating on social media, it is important to mention that the sale of all instant soups in Mexico will not be banned, as the federal government only removed some that did not comply with certain regulations.

At kiwilimón, we tell you everything you need to know about the controversial instant soups, how unhealthy they are, how often you should consume them, and which ones have been removed from the market.

Why were the instant soups withdrawn from the market?

After authorities removed 129,937 instant soups from stores on Friday, October 1st, there was a lot of confusion about which brands would be banned. This measure was taken after the publication of a quality study and several complaints filed by citizens.

Why were these soups removed from stores? This was due to some brands not complying with the new labeling regulations, being misleading products, or omitting to include nutritional information on their labels.

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Which 12 instant soups were banned?

Although there was much speculation about the disappearance of the famous Maruchan soup from the market, this was one of the instant soups still available in stores. On the contrary, here are the 12 brands that have indeed been banned:

1. Knorr PASTA LIST, pasta prepared with cheese and herb sauce: It was removed from shelves because it did not comply with current labeling regulations, as it failed to identify glucose syrup as "added sugar." Additionally, it does not provide information on energy, i.e., the calories it contains, according to the regulation.
2. Instant noodle soup pasta brand MYOJO: It does not express energy, calories, as required by current regulations, and it also does not declare the nutritional information in the prepared product.
3. Pre-cooked durum wheat pasta for soup brand Selecto BRAND: It does not express energy, calories, as required by current regulations.
4. Instant noodle soup pasta curry flavor, brand J-BASKET: This product was removed from stores because the label instructions are not in Spanish and also do not declare nutritional information.
5. Oriental-style wheat pasta, brand CHIKARA UDON: This product was removed from stores because the label instructions are not in Spanish.
6. Instant chicken-flavored cheese soup, brand BULDAK CHEESE: Profeco withdrew it from the market because the label is misleading, as its name states "chicken," but its ingredients indicate it contains "artificial chicken flavor powder" and "artificial chicken flavor."
7. Instant noodles chicken flavor, brand OTTOGI RAMYON: This soup was withdrawn from the market because the label is misleading, “as the image presented on the packaging leads one to think it contains carrot when it does not.”
8. Pasta with cheese-flavored sauce, brand Kraft: This product does not declare the nutritional information in the prepared product.
9. Instant noodle soup pasta, brand NONGSHIM: This product does not declare nutritional information in the prepared product.
10. Japanese-style instant noodle soup pasta brand UDON: This product does not declare nutritional information in the prepared product.
11. Instant noodle soup pasta, brand SAPPORO: This product does not declare nutritional information in the prepared product.
12. Instant noodle soup pasta, brand SAPPORO (HOT & SPICY CHICKEN): This product does not declare nutritional information in the prepared product.

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Will Maruchan soup be banned?

Although this specific brand was not one of the 12 products withdrawn from the shelves, in its press release, Profeco states that Maruchan contains “minimal amounts of vegetables, the product incurs in misleading advertising, so it would be immobilized in upcoming operations.”

How harmful are instant soups to health?

Although instant soups have a spicy flavor that we all love, the reality is that they are products full of preservatives and sodium. However, these products also have many calories and are rich in sugars, fats, colorants, and artificial flavorings, which are neither nutritious nor good for health. In total, they can contain up to 30 ingredients.

One of the main reasons to avoid consuming Maruchan soup is its excessive sodium content, as the study conducted by Profeco indicates that 100 grams of soup contain “between 181 and up to 398 mg” of sodium.

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On the other hand, another thing to consider is that both Maruchan soup and Nissin soup are packaged in styrofoam containers and that, when heated in the microwave, this material “releases compounds that combine with food and are harmful to health.”

Maruchan soup and other soup brands are difficult to digest due to the flour, fat, and moisture they contain. Before consuming these types of foods, remember that their consumption results in diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension.

What do experts say about Maruchan soup?

For clinical nutritionist Jennifer Asencio, who specializes in diabetes and patients with kidney diseases, the ban on 12 instant soups is good news, as these products contain “monosodium benzoate, a preservative that is not beneficial to health, it also raises blood pressure and can create a certain addiction to keep eating.”

Furthermore, the expert points out that instant soups do not contain any nutritional properties, so it is best to remove them from the market and avoid their consumption, as Asencio mentions, Mexico is the country “with the most obesity in children and the second in adults.”

If you really like Maruchan soup and are not willing to eliminate it from your diet, the most advisable thing is to consume it once a month or less.