Consumer Citizens' Coalition "Instant Galbitang, Up to 4 Times Difference in Meat Quantity by Product"

[Asia Economy Reporter Joo Sang-don] A survey found that the amount of meat excluding bones, which are inedible parts, in one pack of instant galbitang varies up to four times depending on the product.

On the 25th, the Consumer Citizens' Coalition announced these results after testing and evaluating 15 instant galbitang products for nutritional content, safety, and net weight.

The product with the least amount of meat per pack was Ottogi Yetnal Galbitang, with meat accounting for 5.6% of the pack's net weight. Peacock Jinhan Galbitang showed 8.6% meat relative to the pack's net weight. Ottogi Yetnal Galbitang was the cheapest at 536 KRW per 100g, while Peacock Jinhan Galbitang was the fourth most expensive at 1,176 KRW per 100g.

The products with the highest meat content relative to net weight were Sodeulnyeok Galbitang and Yoseokgung Galbigadeuk Galbitang, with meat making up 22.6% and 22.2% respectively. Sodeulnyeok Galbitang was priced at 1,082 KRW per 100g, cheaper than Peacock Jinhan Galbitang, which had the second lowest meat content but cost 1,176 KRW per 100g. Yoseokgung Galbigadeuk Galbitang was the most expensive among the surveyed products at 1,265 KRW per 100g.

Notably, Peacock Jinhan Sogalbitang and Ganggangsullae Hwangje Galbitang had bones accounting for 60.4% and 60.0% respectively of their contents (meat + bone), meaning the amount of bone exceeded the amount of meat.

Based on the net weight excluding bones, the average sodium content was 1,276.8 mg, which is 63.8% of the daily nutritional standard (2,000 mg). The maximum intake reached 82.3% (1,645.2 mg). Among products, sodium content per 100g ranged from 198.3 mg in Lee Woo-cheol's Wang Galbitang to 273.5 mg in Ottogi Yetnal Galbitang, showing up to a 1.4 times difference between products.

Saturated fat content per 100g varied up to 13.5 times (0.2 to 2.7 g), fat content up to 8.1 times (0.7 to 5.7 g), and cholesterol up to 3.8 times (5.6 to 21.5 mg).

Yoon Myung, Secretary General of the Consumer Citizens' Coalition, said, "A consumer survey on instant galbitang showed high dissatisfaction with meat content and quality," adding, "It is necessary to provide consumers with accurate information on galbi content, increase the lean meat proportion of raw materials, and indicate the actual edible meat content to improve quality."

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