Tea giant Tata Consumer Products has launched an instant noodle brand called Wok’d in the UK.
The Tetley and Teapigs supplier said the range of HFSS-compliant microwaveable noodle bowls were “designed to meet increasing demand for convenient lunch and dinner solutions”.
Featuring “real wok-fried noodles, visible vegetables and bold Asian-inspired flavours,” Wok’d offered “a more substantial and satisfying alternative to traditional instant noodle pots”, it added.
Packs in Chinese Chow Mein, Thai Sweet Chilli and Korean BBQ will launch on Ocado and Amazon this month (rsp: £2.50/200g).
“Wok’d has been developed to meet growing demand for quick meals that offer greater authenticity, quality and satisfaction,” said Simon Fisher, head of Tata Consumer Products UK & Ireland. “Combining real wok-fried noodles, visible vegetables and restaurant-inspired flavours in a substantial bowl ready in just 60 seconds, it creates a compelling new space between traditional noodle pots, pouch meals and chilled food-to-go.”
It marks the second time Tata has launched a food brand in UK retail, having trialled a millet-based muesli brand called Joyfull Millets in 2023.
Tata had “a global ambition to become a broader fmcg business beyond our core of tea, coffee and salt,” Fisher said. Alongside hot beverages, it also produces spices, pulses, ready to eat and ready to serve sauces, sold mainly in specialist grocery stores.
Although short-lived, the launch of Joyfull Millets had given the Indian-headquartered business “some valuable insights into a competitive and crowded sector”, Fisher added.
It comes amid a steady long-term decline in tea drinking in the UK, with younger shoppers switching to coffee as well as energy drinks and other soft drinks. Consumption is still growing in other markets, including the US, China and India, but this is being driven by herbal and ‘functional’ products, as opposed to traditional black tea.
Despite declining volume sales, tea remained “the nations favourite hot beverage… with 89% of the UK consuming tea and 57% drinking it daily,” said Fisher, citing Vypr survey data.
There remained significant headroom for growth in tea “through premiumisation, flavour-led innovation and wellness propositions,” he added.
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