[Post-Corona, Convenience Foods Rise] Lotte Food Revives Homemade Taste with Quick-Freezing Technology

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] Lotte Food's representative ready-to-eat meal brands include the premium ready-to-eat meal brand 'Chefud' made by chefs, the restaurant-quality processed meat and frozen snack brand 'La Cuisine,' and the dumpling brand 'Uiseong Garlic Dumplings,' which enhances flavor by adding Uiseong garlic and preserves the original taste of the filling.

'Chefud' is a ready-to-eat meal brand operated by Lotte Food since 2010. The name is a compound of chef and food, meaning 'premium ready-to-eat meals made by chefs.' Previously, the Chefud brand mainly offered refrigerated and shelf-stable products, but last year, it expanded its range to include frozen ready meals through the launch of a new lineup. This decision was based on the development of rapid freezing technology, which has recently improved the quality and premium nature of frozen foods, leading to increasing consumer demand.

In March 2019, Lotte Food launched six types of 'Chefud Frozen Ready Meals,' which can be conveniently enjoyed as a single meal, including 'frozen rice bowls' and 'frozen pasta.' The launched products include three types of 'Chefud Frozen Rice Bowls': grilled beef rice bowl, kimchi pork rice bowl, and grilled teriyaki chicken rice bowl; and three types of 'Chefud Frozen Noodles': arrabbiata pasta, pollack roe oil pasta, and ragu bolognese pasta. Chefud frozen ready meals are characterized by being frozen using the 'Tunnel Quick Freezing (TQF)' technology, which freezes food quickly by passing it through an ultra-low temperature tunnel below -40°C, preserving the shape and taste as if freshly cooked.

'La Cuisine' is a restaurant-quality processed meat and frozen snack brand launched by Lotte Food in 2016. The La Cuisine brand, which has been releasing processed meat products such as steak and pork cutlets?typically enjoyed at specialty restaurants?as ready-to-eat meals, has recently expanded its snack menu that can be easily cooked using air fryers, following the spread of air fryer usage. The 'La Cuisine Crunchy Chicken,' released in February, features a crispy exterior and juicy, moist interior texture. The 'La Cuisine Crunchy Chicken' comes in three flavors: original, sweet and salty galbi flavor, and spicy hot, allowing consumers to enjoy different tastes according to their preferences.

Launched for the first time in August 2018, 'Uiseong Garlic Dumplings' is a dumpling brand that enhances flavor by adding 'Uiseong garlic,' known for its large cloves and excellent taste, into the dumpling filling, preserving the original taste of the ingredients. The use of Uiseong garlic adds a clean flavor and reduces greasiness, while the garlic enhances the taste of the meat, vegetables, and other dumpling fillings, allowing for a richer flavor experience. The 'Uiseong Garlic Dumplings' line includes over ten products such as chewy roll dumplings, galbi roll dumplings, and bulgogi roll dumplings.

Lotte Food plans to complete a ready-to-eat meal lineup that covers the entire diet, including staple foods, dishes, and snacks, through continuous new product launches and brand maintenance. To this end, after recently establishing a frozen ready meal line at the Pyeongtaek plant, the company plans to invest 93 billion KRW by 2021 to expand the Gimcheon plant and increase production lines for ready-to-eat meals, including frozen facilities.

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