"Breaking the Prejudice That Care Food Tastes Bad" Hyundai Green Food Launches Greeting with a 100 Billion KRW Target (Comprehensive)

Providing Customized Healthy Meals Such as Low-Sugar and Calorie-Balanced Diets
Launching Dedicated Online Mall and Starting Subscription Service
Customers Can Choose Desired Meal Plans and Delivery Dates

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] Hyundai Green Food, a subsidiary of Hyundai Department Store Group, has entered the customized 'care food' business that delivers healthy meals such as low-sugar and calorie-balanced diets directly to homes.

On the 17th, Hyundai Green Food launched the care food specialty brand 'Greeting.' 'Greeting' is a compound word combining 'Great' and 'Eating,' signifying the pursuit of great food. Park Ju-yeon, Executive Director in charge of the Greeting business at Hyundai Green Food, explained, "Greeting is a healthcare food (comprehensive health meal) for people who are very interested in health management," adding, "Its distinctive feature is that the meals are cooked and delivered directly to homes early the next morning."

◆Balanced Nutrition and Taste= Existing healthy meal plans often had reduced salt and sugar levels but were criticized for being bland. Greeting maintains the taste of commercial food while adjusting sugar or salt levels for each meal plan. All dishes use 71 types of proprietary sauces developed in-house, such as goji berry soy sauce, angelica rapeseed oil, and avocado oil dressing. These sauces exclude monosodium glutamate, flavoring agents, and caramel coloring, instead using broths made from vegetables or meat to maximize deep flavor, and no additional sugar is added. Over 150 types of healthy ingredients, including peanut sprouts, barley shoots, Cudrania tricuspidata, and Jerusalem artichoke, were newly discovered and utilized to provide balanced nutrients.

Based on its experience operating food halls in department stores and providing patient meals at Asan Medical Center and Ajou University Hospital, Hyundai Green Food developed 597 'Greeting side dish recipes.' Using these, they created 72 types of healthy meal plans, including low-sugar diets, salad-focused light diets, and well-balanced wellness diets. The meal plans are designed with sodium content, calories, and the three essential nutrients (carbohydrates, protein, and fat) proportioned according to their purpose.

◆Healthy Meal Subscription= Hyundai Green Food introduced two sections on its dedicated online mall, 'Greeting Mall': 'Care Meal Plans,' where consumers can subscribe regularly to healthy meal plans, and 'Health Market,' where customers can purchase convenient healthy meals, side dishes, health juices, and sauces. 'Care Meal Plans' operate as a subscription service. Customers select their preferred meal plan among low-sugar, light, or wellness diets, and the meals are regularly delivered to their homes via courier. Customers can specify the menu, delivery date, delivery method (standard courier or early morning delivery), how many meals per day, and the duration of use.

In the 'Health Market,' customers can purchase healthy side dishes, nutritious porridges, soups, and soft foods individually according to their preferences. Hyundai Green Food currently sells 89 items and plans to expand to over 200 items within the year. They will also introduce a 'Greeting exclusive corner' applicable to corporate cafeterias within the year. Additionally, they are considering a 'healthy meal delivery service' for companies without employee dining facilities.

Hyundai Green Food Smart Food Center exterior view.

◆Goal of 100 billion KRW by 2025= According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, the care food market size is estimated to be in the 2 trillion KRW range this year, nearly four times the 510.4 billion KRW recorded in 2011. This is the background for Hyundai Green Food's entry into the care food business. Executive Director Park said, "By 2025, more than 20% of the total population will be aged 65 or older, entering a super-aged society, making proper eating habits increasingly important," adding, "Not only the elderly but also younger generations are showing movements to take care of their health, so the care food market is expected to continue growing."

Hyundai Green Food also launched a 'comprehensive healthcare' service using Greeting. Starting from the 18th, in partnership with NOOM Korea, which operates a health management program used by 50 million people worldwide, they will offer a healthcare service combining diet management and exercise therapy. Customers who purchase Greeting's low-sugar meal plan will receive a 'one-on-one health management coaching' service provided by NOOM Korea's healthcare experts, including clinical nutritionists and health exercise managers, along with their meal plans.

Additionally, they plan social contribution activities to regularly provide Greeting meal plans free of charge to elderly people living alone in the community and assist with health management in cooperation with specialized medical institutions. Kim Hae-gon, Executive Director of Hyundai Green Food's Strategic Planning Office, said, "We aim to achieve sales of 15 billion KRW in the first year of Greeting's launch and grow to a scale of 100 billion KRW within five years," adding, "We will further solidify our position as a leading company in the domestic care food business."

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