Lotte Food's Plant-Based Alternative Meat 'Zero Meat' Enters Vegetarian Zones in 21 Emart Stores

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Saeng-hye] Consumers have found it much more convenient to obtain plant-based alternative meat products.

On the 19th, Lotte Foods announced that it has started selling the plant-based alternative meat brand "Zero Meat" at 21 Emart stores nationwide.

Lotte Foods' Zero Meat is a brand with the concept of "vegetarian food that easily and deliciously delivers health made from plant-derived proteins and ingredients." Since the 2nd of this month, it has been available at the dedicated display "Vegetarian Zone," where various vegetarian foods operated at 21 Emart stores nationwide can be found all at once.

The items introduced in Emart's Vegetarian Zone this time are three types: "Zero Meat Veggie Hamburg Original," "Zero Meat Veggie Hamburg Mashed Potato," and "Zero Meat Veggie Nuggets." Lotte Foods, which had mainly operated Zero Meat through online malls, plans to expand offline sales channels through this Emart entry, increasing access opportunities to alternative meat.

The "Zero Meat Veggie Hamburg Original," released last month, is a plant-based hamburger steak made by mincing and grilling soy-extracted protein to preserve the crumbly texture of meat. The "Zero Meat Veggie Hamburg Mashed Potato" contains a savory plant-based potato salad with corn kernels embedded inside the hamburger steak, allowing for a softer taste. Both products come with a brown sauce made from plant-based ingredients such as apple, tomato, and onion, so there is no need to prepare separate sauce, making it convenient to enjoy a richer flavor.

In particular, both types of Zero Meat Hamburg can be enjoyed lightly with 0% cholesterol whether grilled as is or cooked in an air fryer. Also, based on 100g of Zero Meat Veggie Hamburg Original, it provides about 5g of dietary fiber and approximately 13g of plant-based protein, fulfilling about 24% of the daily nutritional intake standard for protein.

The "Zero Meat Veggie Nuggets," renewed and released last month, reproduce the muscle fibers of meat using plant-based protein extruded from whole wheat and implement the unique chewy texture of chicken. When bitten, you can feel the soft meat juice, and the exterior is coated with crunchy corn chips, adding a crispier and nuttier taste. Additionally, a sweet and tangy plant-based mustard sauce is included, enhancing convenience and flavor.

Zero Meat has received a positive response, with sales in July?when the two types of Hamburg were released and the nuggets and cutlet products were renewed?recording about 2.5 times higher than the average monthly sales from January to June.

A Lotte Foods official said, "According to consumer surveys, one difficulty vegetarians face is that there are not many places selling vegetarian food, making it harder to find than expected," adding, "Even customers who are not necessarily vegetarians but want to experience plant-based alternative meat at least once can access it more easily as we expand sales channels."

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