CU, Industry's First 'Halal-Certified Ingredients' Ready-to-Eat Meals Launched

Utilizing Halal-Slaughtered Chicken
Chicken Makhani Curry Rice Bowl & Two Types of Triple Chicken Platters
"Will Continue to Introduce Global Menu Convenience Store Ready Meals"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] CU announced on the 10th that it will launch ready-to-eat meals made from Halal-certified ingredients for the first time in the industry to secure a variety of food menus at convenience stores.

The ready-to-eat meals introduced by CU this time are two types: 'Chicken Makhni Curry Rice Bowl (3,900 KRW)' and 'Triple Chicken Platter (8,900 KRW)', both made using chicken slaughtered according to Halal methods.

Halal means "permissible" or "lawful" according to Islamic law Sharia and refers to products allowed for Muslims to eat and use. In particular, only meat slaughtered according to Islamic religious rituals can be consumed. Although convenience stores have previously sold Halal processed foods such as instant noodles imported from Islamic countries, this is the first time that ready-to-eat meals are directly manufactured using Halal-certified raw materials.

The Chicken Makhni Curry Rice Bowl is a product that allows you to enjoy tandoori chicken with authentic Indian Makhni curry sauce. It is topped with gold whipping cream and parsley on the curry sauce, and the side dish is composed of jalape?os to add a clean taste. The Triple Chicken Platter is a premium product consisting of three flavors of fried chicken: spicy mayo, kanpung sauce, and black aglio. In addition to assorted fried chicken, it also includes shrimp chips and whole fried shrimp, making it versatile as a snack, side dish, or drinking accompaniment.

Regarding the launch of ready-to-eat meals using Halal-certified meat, CU said, "Contrary to the expectation that Halal food is mainly sought after by Muslims, interest has recently increased among the general public due to trust and curiosity about products that have undergone strict distribution processes." CU explained that its Halal fried noodles 'Mie Goreng Original,' directly imported from Malaysia in 2019, sold out 50,000 limited units in less than a month through word of mouth on social media, despite Halal food being an unfamiliar category in convenience stores.

CU stated, "In the past, CU led industry trends by introducing ready-to-eat meal series using mala, a representative Chinese spice, ahead of specialized food manufacturers," and added, "We will continue to introduce new global menus as convenience store ready-to-eat meals to capture customers' tastes."

Kim Dong-yul, MD of the BGF Retail Ready-to-Eat Food Team, said, "Reflecting the growing customer demand for unique products due to COVID-19, we are attempting to launch various global menus," and added, "Going forward, CU will identify niche markets with clear demand but small scale that are difficult to access easily and introduce differentiated products accordingly."

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