CJ CheilJedang Breaks the Prejudice of "Room Temperature Tastes Bad," Opens the Era of Room Temperature HMR

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Saeng-hye] CJ CheilJedang’s “room temperature home meal replacement (HMR)” is growing rapidly. Based on differentiated research and development (R&D) and innovative manufacturing technology, it is breaking the stereotype that “room temperature food tastes bad,” leading market growth and opening the golden age of room temperature convenience foods.

CJ CheilJedang announced on the 6th that the combined sales of its three representative room temperature convenience food categories?“Hetbahn Cupbap,” “Bibigo Soup Dishes,” and “Bibigo Porridge”?reached 345 billion KRW last year, showing an average annual growth rate of 43% over the past three years, maintaining high growth.

Along with sales, positive results were also seen in penetration rate (the proportion of households purchasing at least once a year) and TOM (Top of Mind, the brand that first comes to mind in each category). The penetration rate and TOM of the three major categories have continuously increased. For example, the penetration rate of “Bibigo Soup Dishes” rose from 22.0% in 2017 to 34.0%, and TOM increased from 26.8% to 52.7% during the same period.

CJ CheilJedang found the answer to breaking the prejudice against room temperature products in overwhelming R&D capabilities and manufacturing technology. They judged that room temperature products with excellent storage and cooking convenience could have sufficient growth potential if they had taste quality comparable to specialty stores. Accordingly, they continued investing in R&D and manufacturing and secured innovative technologies that could improve taste quality, applying them to products.

Representative technologies include raw material control technology and retort (high-temperature sterilization) technology. Raw material control technology is a technique that preprocesses each raw material according to its characteristics to maintain the original taste, properties, and freshness of the ingredients even after high-temperature sterilization. Through CJ CheilJedang’s unique preprocessing technology, including developing and applying proprietary components, they prevented juice loss in meat and ensured vegetables retained a firm texture.

Sterilization was also applied differently from before. Unlike the past method of packaging all ingredients together and sterilizing them at the same temperature, they adopted a separated sterilization method that applies temperatures suited to each raw material’s characteristics to preserve their flavors. This approach achieved equivalent sterilization effects while reducing the time raw materials were exposed to heat, enhancing the texture of the ingredients.

Along with R&D and manufacturing technology, expanding the lineup according to consumer demand was also effective. CJ CheilJedang introduces various menus every year targeting increasingly segmented consumer tastes. Currently, Hetbahn Cupbap offers 24 varieties, Bibigo Soup Dishes 22 varieties, and Bibigo Porridge 9 varieties, strengthening consumer choice according to preferences, which is analyzed to have received positive evaluations from consumers.

CJ CheilJedang plans to continue focusing on securing overwhelming R&D and core manufacturing technologies. They are committed to comprehensive R&D efforts such as technology that reduces bacteria in raw materials to minimize heat treatment processes, future-oriented packaging technology optimized for preserving the original texture and taste of raw materials and consumer convenience. They also plan to expand the product portfolio according to consumer needs, focusing on realizing “just-cooked meals at home” and “specialty store-level taste quality.”

A CJ CheilJedang official said, “The growth of room temperature convenience foods such as Hetbahn Cupbap, Bibigo Soup Dishes, and Bibigo Porridge is more meaningful because it changed consumer perceptions of room temperature products rather than simply expanding sales.” He added, “Especially for global market expansion aimed at the globalization of Korean cuisine, room temperature products that are easy to cook and can be stored for a long time are necessary, so we will focus more on securing ‘Korean food HMR room temperature technology’ capabilities.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.