CJ CheilJedang Launches 'The Bibigo'... Opening the Era of Healthy Convenience Meals

Official Launch of 'The Bibigo,' a Health-Centered Design Specialty Brand

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] "From delicious Korean food 'Home Meal Replacement (HMR)' to 'Healthy Convenience Food' that also cares for health"

CJ CheilJedang is once again leading innovation and evolution in HMR. This is through the new concept Korean food brand 'The Bibigo,' created with food technology secured after more than three years of research and development. On the 12th, CJ CheilJedang announced the launch of 'The Bibigo,' a premium version of the HMR brand 'Bibigo,' and the release of 12 new products including 4 types of soup dishes, 4 types of rice bowl sauces, and 4 types of porridge. It is characterized by aiming for balanced Korean food that takes care of not only taste but also 'health' and 'nutrition.'

Through joint research by CJ CheilJedang researchers, nutrition experts, and chefs, nutrients that are often lacking in diets such as protein and dietary fiber were added, while sodium and cholesterol, which are concerns for excessive intake, were reduced, preserving the strengths of Korean food while lowering its weaknesses. Ingredients commonly used in health foods, such as susam (fresh ginseng) and octopus, were also abundantly included.

To launch 'The Bibigo,' CJ CheilJedang developed 'low-sodium based flavor preservation technology' that reduces sodium while enhancing taste, and 'raw material pretreatment optimization technology' that prevents nutrient destruction of raw ingredients even during room temperature storage over the past three years. A CJ CheilJedang official explained, "Compared to similar products, we succeeded in reducing sodium content by more than 25% or making it less salty to alleviate consumer concerns, while preserving the original taste, aroma, form, and texture of healthy raw materials," adding, "The competitiveness of 'The Bibigo' lies in delivering products that are not salty but delicious."

The flagship product 'Doganitang' contains plenty of collagen-rich dogani (ox knee cartilage) and suji (beef tendons and surrounding muscle parts), and is a high-protein (more than 20% of the daily protein intake standard) soup dish that lowers cholesterol, creating a clean and delicious broth.

CJ CheilJedang plans to continuously expand the product categories and varieties of 'The Bibigo' to meet consumer expectations. In addition to department stores and the food specialty mall 'CJ The Market,' where it is currently being test-marketed, distribution channels will gradually be expanded. A CJ CheilJedang official said, "We will focus on raising awareness of 'The Bibigo' as a representative brand of 'healthy convenience food' that cares for not only taste and convenience but also health," and added, "We will continue to lead innovation and evolution in HMR through relentless research and development efforts."

Meanwhile, according to the '2019 Processed Food Submarket Status Report' by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), the domestic HMR market size was estimated to have approached 4 trillion won last year and is expected to exceed 5 trillion won by 2022. Overseas markets such as the US and Europe have a category called 'Health and Wellness Ready Meals,' which aligns with the 'healthy convenience food' concept pursued by 'The Bibigo,' forming a market of about 10 trillion won.

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