Among 10 types of cold noodles enjoyed conveniently at home, 9 types exceeded half of the daily sodium intake guideline.

/Courtesy of Korea Consumer Agency

The Korea Consumer Agency announced on the 19th that, as a result of investigating 5 types each of commercially available chilled noodles and bibim noodles, most products had excessively high levels of sodium and calories. The daily intake guideline for sodium is 2,000 mg. However, 9 out of the 10 types of convenient cold noodles exceeded the 1,000 mg standard for a single serving.

The product with the highest sodium level was Chilgapsan's 'ice-cold water noodles,' reaching 2,969 mg. Emart's No Brand water noodles (1,833 mg) and Chilgapsan's ice-cold bibim noodles (1,790 mg) were also at 90% of the standard level. The only product with sodium content below half of the standard was Pulmuone's Hamheung bibim noodles (803 mg).

Additionally, the investigation found that water noodles contained more sodium than bibim noodles. The average sodium content of the 5 types of water noodles was 1,999 mg, about 57% more than bibim noodles (1,270 mg). This is because the broth and the bibim sauce account for 83% and 66% of the total sodium content in a serving of cold noodles, respectively.

All 10 types passed hygiene and preservative tests. However, the Korea Consumer Agency stated that foreign substances from noodle fibers were detected in Chilgapsan's water noodles, and the company submitted measures to prevent recurrence.