Japan's leading instant food maker Nissin Foods Holdings Co. will produce pre-cut vegetables in Hong Kong, aiming to capture demand for fresh and convenient food items among health-conscious consumers.

Nissin Foods Co., its local subsidiary, will invest about HK$7 million ($900,000) in a production line for pre-packaged, ready-to-eat vegetables at its plant in the Tai Po Industrial Estate in the New Territories and begin operations in December, according to the company.

The Hong Kong arm intends to broaden its customer base by adding new products to its lineup in addition to instant noodles, snacks, and chilled and frozen foods, CEO Kiyotaka Ando said in a statement released Friday.

The Japanese food group is eyeing mainland China and other countries for pre-cut vegetable sales in the future, Blanche Wong, public relations manager of the subsidiary, told NNA on Tuesday.

In the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in December in China and the subsequent epidemic in Hong Kong, instant noodle sales surged five to six times around this year's Lunar New Year holiday period compared with the same period in 2019, Wong said.

But Nissin Foods foresees weak purchasing power in Hong Kong and downward pressure on the retail sector in China later this year in the aftermath of the global pandemic, it said in the statement. (NNA/Kyodo)

==Kyodo

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