are much more complex. From the ingredients found in these noodles, like palm oil and wheat, to the packaging the noodles are sold in, styrofoam, the overall effects they have on our earth and body are negative. Although noodle waste produced during production can be beneficial, it doesn’t compare to the negative effects the overall product has. By identifying the different materials used to make instant ramen noodles, understanding the wastes and emissions produced during the manufacturing process, as well as how the environment is affected in return, becomes much easier to do.
Wheat is the key ingredient in making instant ramen noodles, without it the star of the show would not exist. Wheat is used in various foods, and it is a popular type of flour. Growing and harvesting the wheat can cause some unpopular effects. Agriculture is one of the major sources of greenhouse gas emissions. In a study researching the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) produced from different grains, it revealed some interesting data. “Wheat and rye had higher GHG emissions per hectare than oats and barley” (Rajaniemi 2011). Other than greenhouse gas emissions being released through harvesting, instant ramen noodle workers are also affected by the manufacturing of noodles. When making the noodle dough, workers must first mix wheat flour with other ingredients. Flour dust can cause health problems for workers exposed to them on a daily basis. “...Flour workers can be exposed to bioaerosols (airborne fungi and bacteria) resulting flour-induced occupational asthma or allergic diseases” (Tsai 2008). This flour-induced asthma is also known as baker’s asthma. It is commonly diagnosed in bakers or people who work with flour regularly. “Baker’s asthma is caused by breathing in flour and grains, additives and enzymes, and other allergens… and non-food allergens like dust mites and other molds” (MacKay 2017). Breathing in flour daily will result in workers having symptoms of coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. These symptoms can generally go away after not being in that environment for a few days. In order to best prevent baker’s asthma, workers should be properly covered and the workplace should have good ventilation. Another ingredient used in instant ramen noodles that has a negative environmental impact is palm oil.
Palm oil is like a silent killer; it’s in hundreds of different products but doesn’t get noticed all too well, yet the impact its manufacturing has on the earth is deadly. “[Palm oil] is a versatile vegetable oil derived from the pulp of the oil palm” (Loki 2017), which is used in up to “50% of household products” from shampoo and candles to instant ramen noodles. The oil is primarily produced in Malaysia and Indonesia, the world’s top two palm oil producers, then it is exported to different countries. Four of the top instant ramen noodle companies have factories in California. “An estimated 15% of all palm oil imported into California goes into instant ramen noodles, and most if not all comes from Indonesia or Malaysia” (Rainforest-Safe Ramen). Instant ramen noodle companies get most of their palm oil imports through California Oils Corporation, which then gets their supply from Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad (KLK). “Over 80% of KLK’s palm oil shipments to the U.S. go to California Oils, accounting for 44% of that company’s total imports” (Rainforest-Safe Ramen). The main reason why palm oil has become so controversial is because of the forests affected from extracting the oil. “A hectare of palm oil plantation yields on average 4 tonnes of crude palm oil per year” (Lau 2017) Because there is such a high demand for palm oil, in the past 20 years, “300 million hectares of rainforests have been cleared”(Lau 2017). That is roughly 741 million acres, or approximately 672 million football fields, of rainforests destroyed in order to grow the oil palm plant. This isn’t good for two prominent reasons: greenhouse gas emissions and animal endangerment. The destruction of rainforests releases carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmo