That’s how it’s been around here as well.
I think if the shortage was due to food insecurity, there would be problems finding tortillas and pinto beans out this way.
Ramen (at least the packaged kind, that’s very inexpensive in the U.S., and is likely the sort that the OP is talking about) is pretty much empty calories. This web page has the Nutrition Facts for Maruchan Chicken Flavor Ramen; one package (two servings) contains:
- 380 calories, 140 of which come from fat
- 22% of the daily level of fat
- 70% of the daily level of sodium
- 18% of the daily value of carbs
- The only other nutrient it supplies is iron (20% of the daily value)
But, according to the online store for my local retailer, it retails for 33c (and is often on sale).
A can of, say, kidney beans, would still be fairly inexpensive ($1 to $1.50), and certainly somewhat more nutritious, but for many people, probably not as tasty as a bowl of ramen.
You’re actually supposed to throw away the broth if you want it to be less unhealthy.
There’s not a shortage of bread in total, there’s some on the shelves, but which brands and which types/flavors are a crapshoot, and have been since covid.
Which has something to do with why I’m baking most of my own bread these days - with my food allergy issues there’s no guarantee there’ll be bread safe for me to eat on the shelf. I have a couple months worth of various flours in storage (most in the freezer) in case there’s a supply line interruption.
Ramen contains carbohydrates and fats, which really are a necessary part of the diet in moderation, as well as a small amount of protein.
Beans + a grain (like wheat, such as is found in ramen) has more protein as a combination than either beans alone, wheat alone, or adding up those two numbers because each supplies essential amino acids the other doesn’t allowing the body to utilize them more fully.
So ideally mix beans and ramen in the same meal. Or, maybe, tofu and ramen which is not an unusual mix. Add in a handful of vegetables and it’s not a horrible meal. Depending on what you use for the broth it might even be healthy when not consumed to excess.
It’s eating large quantities of just seasoned noodles that is likely to cause problems.
Me, I throw away the seasoning packets that come with and make my own broth. That way I know what’s in it and I know it’s not mostly salt.
I return. My other market has both fancy-ass ramen and 33 cent Maruchan.
My store’s shelves have been low on pasta for quite some time. There are signs posted that it’s because of issues with the suppliers. They didn’t impose a limit, though.
I’m guessing that most of the sodium is from the “flavour packet”. When I make ramen, I use only enough water to cook the noodles, and correspondingly little of the powder which is usually heavily laced with sodium and MSG. My aim to to make a bowl of noodles, not soup, with whatever else I throw into it, usually pork or chicken, vegetables, and green onions. One of my favourite ingredients is grilled jerk pork, which is so spicy and flavourful that the “flavour packet” is almost unnecessary.
If I could make my own tonkotsu broth at home I would, but my roommate would probably object to me boiling the hell out of pig feet for 18 hours at a time. Instead I buy tonkotsu concentrate off Amazon and use it with plain chuka soba noodles that we sell at work.
I just came back from my local 99 cent store in Socal and if you want ramen from brands youve never heard of there’s an entire aisle of it here.
Maybe you can come here, buy it en-masse for cheap and then fence it where you’re living?
I did a bunch of grocery shopping today and, once again, had to make a detour to Walmart because it’s the only place around here that I can get Sapporo Ichiban Original, though my grocery store had the beef and chicken flavours. There’s certainly no quantity limit – I bought five 5-packs (25 total) at Walmart, whose reliable supply of Sapporo Ichiban in convenient 5-packs has my admiration! Also got jerk marinated pork chops and a couple of packs of pre-cooked chicken breast to put in them. Did I mention how much I love ramen? Yes, I believe I did! 
And of course a couple of bunches of green onions, essential for ramen. Hint for those like myself living in a cold-winter climate … a great way to store green onions in winter, which tend to wilt very quickly in the fridge, is to plant them upright in a jar of water, almost like flowers, with the bulbs thoroughly submerged, and keep them in a cool place like a garage, which gets cold but doesn’t freeze. This works great in winter but I don’t know what I’ll do in the summer; I don’t like keeping open containers of water in the fridge.
Like an idiot I forgot to get mushrooms. Love sliced mushrooms with ramen. I guess I’ll have to go out yet again.
I’ve been making special trips to the Asian grocery store to try all the different imported ramen brands they carry. My favorite so far is Neoguri spicy seafood flavor from Korea. I usually throw some shrimp in the boiling water to cook with the noodles. And I recently realized you can buy it on Amazon in packs of 16, so I no longer need to make those trips to the Asian grocery.
I don’t recall if I tried Sapporo Ichiban among all the various ramens I tried, but it looks like my local Target carries it, so no need for a special trip to buy that. Maybe I’ll pick some up the next time I’m there and see how it compares.
In my opinion, the key to it is to make it with just enough water to cook the noodles, not the suggested two cups or whatever, but just around half an inch or so in the pot, so that most of the water is absorbed. Add tasty ingredients like spicy pork along with the noodles, add only a fraction of the “soup base” flavour packet, and garnish with green onions.
If you just want the green end, plant your scallions in a pot and snip off what you need. You can even plant the trimmed white end as long as it has roots, and it will start to grow new green shoots. /COVID years survival skills
You mean actually plant the scallions in soil in a flowerpot?
Wow! My brilliant scallion preservation trick is apparently old and well-known and has been improved on considerably! 
Anyway, any decent ramen should be topped with crisp, fresh scallion.
Yes! Sometimes I’ll even use a strainer before adding the flavour packets (I personally like one chicken and one miso combo) with a bunch of grated ginger, a large splash of sesame oil and some soya sauce. And if we have some grocery store BBQ chicken on hand I’ll toss some of that in as well.
Hey! I lived for nearly two decades in what is no doubt the world’s largest ramen-producing and ramen-consuming country,* and yet none of you have mentioned the brand that is so beloved by every Indonesian: Indomie.
If you live in Indonesia, it’s practically a requirement that you have to regularly consume, and love, Indomie. I largely avoided it for health reasons (although @Broomstick 's suggestions could turn it into a not totally unhealthy meal) but I must say, there is no better comfort food than your favorite flavor of Indomie served up in a big bowl, nice and hot.
What people don’t take into account is that ramen (I believe all brands, not just Indomie, though I can’t say for sure) is made with a special process that forces fat right into the dry noodles, so although they just seem like regular, harmless, noodles, they are actually little fat-delivery bombs. (Try boiling some ramen noodles in a small amount of water and then dump in a large amount of cold water so that the released fat congeals. What you see will disturb you.)
Does anyone here consume Indomie? Is it the noodle equivalent of Thunderbird wine? I wouldn’t know. To me, there is no ramen but Indomie.
(*) I’m not going to search for a cite on that, but it’s gotta be true. Indonesia is the fourth largest country in the world and everyone loves Indomie.
If y’all ever get into a prank war, betcha I know how you’ll escalate.