After the Monsoon Ends, Heatwave Causes Bok Choy and Rucola... 'Specialty Vegetables' Disappear from Restaurants

80% of Large Corporation Partner Farms Flooded
Cannot Be Replaced by Chinese Products
Resolution Expected by Next Month... Concerns Over Production Disruptions Due to Heatwave

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Saeng-hye] Due to the longest rainy season on record followed by consecutive heatwaves, it has become difficult to obtain specialty vegetables such as cheonggyeongchae (bok choy) and rukola (arugula), deepening the worries of restaurant owners. With many farms flooded, the prices of leafy vegetables like lettuce and perilla leaves have skyrocketed, and the production of specialty vegetables like cheonggyeongchae and rukola has been halted, severely impacting restaurants that use these specialty vegetables as main ingredients, such as mala specialty restaurants, pho specialty restaurants, Chinese restaurants, and pizza and sandwich specialty restaurants.

On the 19th, most major restaurants in Seoul’s Gangnam, Songpa, and Guro districts responded that they have temporarily suspended sales of menus containing specialty vegetables like cheonggyeongchae, rukola, and coriander or are using substitute ingredients. The owner of a Western cuisine restaurant located in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, said, "Our main menu items are pizza and pasta using rukola, but recently the price has increased 3 to 4 times, and it has become difficult to obtain, so we are considering removing the menu or creating new dishes." A mala specialty restaurant in Songpa-gu also replaced cheonggyeongchae with broccoli due to difficulty in sourcing it. Many notices have been posted on delivery apps stating, "Due to the rainy season, the quality of napa cabbage and cheonggyeongchae has deteriorated, so we will temporarily substitute with cabbage and broccoli," and "Coriander production has stopped, so coriander cannot be supplied. It will not be included upon request."

Notice Regarding Specialty and Regular Vegetables from Self-Employed Vendors on Delivery Apps

Cheonggyeongchae, rukola, and coriander are specialty vegetables with limited domestic cultivation even before. With heavy rain followed by heatwaves, production has become difficult not only for general farms but also for companies like CJ Freshway and Ourhome. A CJ Freshway official explained, "We supply ingredients to franchise chains through partner companies, but recently, due to unprecedented heavy rain, 80% of partner farms have been flooded or their products have deteriorated, making supply difficult. We tried to substitute some products with Chinese imports, but the flood situation in China is even worse than in Korea, and there has even been a lot of hail, making the cost too high and substitution impossible."

Ourhome is also facing difficulties in supplying specialty vegetables. An Ourhome official said, "The price of rukola has nearly doubled compared to last year, but supply has decreased by more than 50%, making normal delivery itself difficult."

The shortage of specialty vegetables is expected to be resolved around next month. However, the ongoing heatwave after the rainy season is a critical factor. A CJ Freshway official said, "Specialty vegetables take about 40 to 45 days from sowing to harvest, so supply is expected from September, but since they are sensitive to heat, the current growing conditions are not good, so we are monitoring the situation."

General vegetables such as lettuce and chives are also of poor quality due to heavy rain and heatwaves, but prices are fluctuating wildly. An Ourhome official explained, "The market price for leafy vegetables in July rose about 150% compared to June, and prices are still rising in August. Especially for facility-grown vegetables (lettuce, perilla leaves, and young radish greens), prices have increased 200 to 300% compared to last year." He added, "We are trying to secure leafy vegetables as much as possible through contract farming volumes and wholesale market auction supplies, but it is not an easy situation."

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