Early Popularity of Nutritious Ready Meals Amid 'COVID-19'... 'Olban Samgyetang' Sales Up 420%

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Saeng-hye] Due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), consumer interest in health-boosting convenience foods is rising faster than in previous years.

According to Shinsegae Food on the 25th, sales of two types of Samgyetang convenience foods, ‘Olban Samgyetang’ and ‘Olban Black Garlic Samgyetang,’ increased by 420% compared to the same period last year during March and April. Shinsegae Food analyzed that this sales increase was due to consumers’ earlier-than-usual heightened interest in health amid COVID-19, leading to purchases. Generally, the peak season for health-boosting convenience foods starts in June when the heatwave begins.

In particular, Olban Samgyetang is made as a shelf-stable convenience food, allowing for online ordering and long-term room temperature storage. It is also easy to prepare, requiring only 15 minutes of heating in boiling water while still in its packaging. This convenience was cited as one of the reasons it gained popularity among home meal consumers who find going out burdensome due to COVID-19. Shinsegae Food also noted that the fact that consumers can enjoy Samgyetang with taste and quality comparable to specialty restaurants at a reasonable price under 10,000 won is another reason it is favored by consumers hesitant to spend amid economic downturn.

Ahead of the summer peak season for health-boosting convenience foods, Shinsegae Food expanded its Samgyetang convenience food lineup from two to three types?‘Olban Samgyetang,’ ‘Olban Samgyetang Jin,’ and ‘Olban Black Garlic Samgyetang’?and began sales.

Olban Samgyetang features a clean and mild broth made by simmering a carefully selected domestic chicken with domestic ginseng and glutinous rice, filtering out fat and impurities. It also uses five types of domestic agricultural products?glutinous rice, ginseng, garlic, onion, and ginger?making it a healthier product. Olban Samgyetang Jin adds a ‘jaseuk’ process, which steams the chicken once more before boiling the Samgyetang, allowing consumers to enjoy a richer and deeper broth flavor.

Olban Black Garlic Samgyetang is characterized by the generous addition of health-boosting ingredients such as black garlic, ginseng, glutinous rice, and Neungi mushrooms to a carefully selected domestic chicken, making it even healthier. Especially, the black garlic used in the Samgyetang ingredients has more than 10 times higher antioxidant power compared to raw garlic due to the fermentation process, helping with fatigue recovery and lowering cholesterol, making it an ideal ingredient for health-boosting dishes.

The three types of Olban Samgyetang are sold nationwide at Emart, Emart Everyday, as well as online malls such as SSG.com, Coupang, and 11st, priced at 9,680 won (900g).

A Shinsegae Food official said, “With this summer expected to have record-breaking heatwaves, we anticipate a significant increase in consumers seeking health-boosting convenience foods, so we have raised our Samgyetang convenience food sales plan by about 20% compared to last year. We will continue to develop and introduce various health-boosting convenience foods that can be enjoyed at reasonable prices and with easy preparation methods.”

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