Only yellow color and fluffy texture indicate pure rice noodles. Anything with less than 90% rice content should be renamed.

▲ Over 90% of rice noodles on the market contain insufficient rice. (Photo / Reporter Chen Mingren)

Reported by Xiao Wanning / Taipei

Starting from July, any rice noodle product with less than 50% rice content can no longer be labeled as "rice noodles." It must be renamed as "cooked noodles" or "water noodles," and those with more than 50% rice content must be renamed as "blended rice noodles." Only noodles made with 100% pure rice can be labeled as "pure rice noodles." Therefore, over 90% of rice noodles currently on the market must be renamed.In response, the Food and Drug Administration under the Ministry of Health and Welfare explained that for products with a production date after July 1st, if labeling has not been corrected, fines can go up to NT$40,000 to NT$4 million. This means only rice noodles manufactured after July 1st need to be renamed, while those produced before then do not require any changes.

A rice noodle producer with over 20 years of experience, Zeng Yongxin, said, “Because the production process is complex and costly, pure rice noodles end up being expensive, leading to low market acceptance. That’s why we gradually started substituting them with corn starch and rice powder to replace pure rice noodles, reducing costs and making them more acceptable to consumers.” He added that it's easy to tell the difference between pure rice noodles and blended ones just by looking.“The whiter the noodles, the lower the rice content. Pure rice noodles usually have a color closer to dried rice grains,” the producer explained.Therefore, when shopping, consumers can easily distinguish between pure rice noodles and blended ones by following this principle.

However, after the renaming, the difference between “cooked noodles” and “water noodles” mainly lies in their production methods. “Cooked noodles” refer to those steamed in bamboo steamers, whereas “water noodles” are made by boiling in water. Although water noodles tend to have a smoother texture, most rice noodles on the market are currently made using the steaming method—cooked noodles—because producing water noodles takes about three times longer. As a result, over 95% of the rice noodles on the market are cooked noodles.

According to producerspure rice noodles are about 2–3 times more expensive than cooked noodles— not only do they have a stronger rice aroma, but their texture is also quite different. The taste of pure rice noodles is closer to that of rice itself, and the cooking method is also distinct: there's no need to blanch them in boiling water. Just rinse them and cook them directly in the pot.