This Year's Seol Food Made Easy... 4 out of 5 People Plan to Spend Over 30,000 Won on Convenience Meals

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Amid the increased demand for Home Meal Replacements (HMR) due to COVID-19, the number of people preparing Lunar New Year holiday meals conveniently with HMR has significantly risen.

On the 12th, Daesang conducted a survey of 4,108 consumers about their 'intentions to purchase convenience foods for the Lunar New Year holiday.' The results showed that a considerable number of consumers planned to purchase convenience foods worth more than 30,000 KRW in preparation for the holiday and intended to enjoy home drinking during the holiday period.

When asked about their budget for purchasing convenience foods for the holiday, 38% responded with 'between 30,000 KRW and less than 50,000 KRW,' the highest percentage. This was followed by 28% for 'between 50,000 KRW and less than 70,000 KRW,' and 14% for 'between 70,000 KRW and less than 100,000 KRW.' Those planning to spend 'between 10,000 KRW and less than 30,000 KRW' accounted for 11%, and 9% said they would spend 'more than 100,000 KRW.' This means that four out of five respondents intend to spend at least 30,000 KRW on convenience foods.

The biggest reason for purchasing convenience foods was 'to replace holiday meals (33%),' followed by 25% of consumers who answered 'because visits to hometowns and relatives have decreased, leaving no food at home.' Other reasons included 'being tired from preparing holiday meals (23%)' and 'being tired of holiday food (19%).' Additional comments included not needing to prepare much holiday food due to COVID-19 and wanting to rest.

Specifically, the most popular convenience food items consumers wanted to purchase for the Lunar New Year holiday were traditional holiday dishes such as jeon (Korean pancakes) and tteokgalbi (grilled short rib patties), at 57%. Soups, stews, and jjigae (stews) that can replace regular meals followed at 43%, and late-night snacks such as chicken, bossam (boiled pork wraps), and jokbal (pig's trotters) were chosen by 39%. Additionally, 29% selected snack foods like tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes), mandu (dumplings), and gimbap (Korean sushi rolls). This reflects the tendency to resolve various food needs during the holiday period at home with convenience foods.

Regarding plans for home drinking during the holiday, 63% responded affirmatively. The most preferred side dishes were 'popular anju (drinking snacks) from pojangmacha (street food stalls),' such as chicken feet, makchang (beef abomasum), ggomjangeo (hagfish), and pork skin, at 51%, followed by 'crispy fried anju' like chicken skin, jjukkumi (webfoot octopus), and dried pollack at 49%. Other responses included 'dry anju' such as squid and peanuts at 31%, and 27% said they would substitute with holiday food.

Meanwhile, the food industry has introduced HMR products tailored for the Lunar New Year holiday in response to these changes. CJ CheilJedang’s meal kit brand Cookit launched four products: 'Sous Vide Braised Beef Shank,' 'Beef Yukjeon and Assorted Jeon,' 'Beef and Mushroom Japchae,' and 'Maesaengi Oyster Rice Cake Soup.' All main ingredients are pre-prepared for easy cooking. They also proposed a 'single-person holiday table' for consumers spending the holiday alone. This table, themed 'A Rich Holiday Even Alone,' was composed using CJ CheilJedang’s HMR products.

Dongwon Home Food’s The Banchan& focused on households aiming to prepare holiday tables conveniently. They took reservations for a 'Premium Charye Table' consisting of handmade assorted jeon, beef skewers, japchae, seasoned vegetables prepared by The Banchan& chefs, and domestic fruits such as apples, dried persimmons, and dried jujubes, with all orders scheduled for bulk delivery on the 11th.

The Premium Charye Table has sold out every holiday since its launch in 2018. The number of pre-orders for last year’s Chuseok, the first holiday during the COVID-19 era, increased by more than 50%.

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