Growing Seafood HMR Market... Food Industry Increasing Production

No More Worries About Fishy Smell, Easy Grilled Fish at Home
CJ 'Bibigo Grilled Fish' 5 Varieties, Cumulative Sales of 25 Billion KRW
Production Line Expansion, Manufacturing Doubled
Seafood Ready Meals Target Overseas Markets
Dongwon and Ottogi Challenge as Latecomers

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] The competition in the Home Meal Replacement (HMR) market is heating up, leading to diversification of product categories. The market has shifted from simple single-dish meals to a craze for soups, stews, and hot pots, and is now moving towards seafood HMR products. As more consumers enjoy seafood, which is difficult to prepare and cook, in convenient meal forms, competition among food companies is intensifying.

CJ Expands Seafood HMR Production Line

CJ CheilJedang announced on the 11th that it will expand the production line for ‘Bibigo Grilled Fish,’ increasing its manufacturing capacity by up to more than double compared to before. The company plans to proactively respond to the rapidly growing demand for seafood HMR and to continuously lead the market by enhancing production capabilities for a wider variety of fish species.

‘Bibigo Grilled Fish’ offers five types: mackerel, flatfish, Spanish mackerel, Atka mackerel, and saury. As of the end of last month, cumulative sales surpassed 6 million units within just one year and six months since its launch. The cumulative sales reached 25 billion KRW, with monthly growth averaging 20% last year due to increased consumer demand. It is considered exceptional that seafood HMR products have grown into a brand with annual sales of 10 billion KRW in a market previously dominated by meat-based HMR products.

The company is also targeting overseas markets. It aims to export ‘Korean-style grilled fish’ to major global countries, contributing to widely promoting the excellence of K-seafood processed products abroad.

A CJ CheilJedang representative said, "As a leading domestic HMR company, we are committed to proactive investments and continuous research and development to prepare for the future," adding, "We will continue to strive to enable consumers to easily enjoy a variety of grilled fish at home."

Seafood HMR Market Growing at an Annual Rate of 30%

This year, the domestic seafood HMR market size is expected to reach around 60 billion KRW, a 30% increase from the previous year. The seafood HMR market has shown an average annual growth rate of around 30% over the past four years.

Until now, seafood was difficult to develop into convenient meal products such as meal kits due to freshness maintenance issues. However, since 2019, food companies have been actively launching related products by developing various new items through processing and distribution technologies. Especially last year, the COVID-19 pandemic, which became a normalized disaster, provided an opportunity for convenient meals to quickly establish themselves among consumers, accelerating market entry by latecomers.

Dongwon Industries launched the brand ‘Susan Myungga’ last year. The Susan Myungga brand products include two types of smoked salmon steak, thick fresh salmon sashimi, two types of boneless grilled fish (mackerel, tuna), two ready-to-eat seafood items (blanched octopus, cooked conch), and premium pollock roe. This month, to capture online demand, the brand entered the grocery market ‘The Banchan&’ with products tailored for one- to two-person households.

Ottogi is successfully promoting ‘Microwaveable Grilled Fish’ featuring mackerel, saury, Spanish mackerel, and salmon. Daesang introduced ‘Jibeuro ON Children’s Boneless Fish’ to help young children easily enjoy grilled fish. All products are characterized by the removal of fishy odors using lemon juice and fruit wine, oven roasting to preserve the fish’s natural taste and nutrition, and easy preparation using a microwave or air fryer.

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