With More Home Drinking, Demand for 'Healthy Anju' Rises... Sales of 'Hwangtae and Meoktae Processed Products' Up 63%

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] As the number of 'home drinking' people who drink alcohol at home has increased since COVID-19, the sales of side dishes have also increased accordingly, and the demand for side dishes and snacks using Hwangtae and Meoktae is rising.

According to Lotte Mart on the 17th, influenced by customers looking for simple side dishes, sales of dried side dish products grew by 3.5% compared to the previous year.

In particular, as Hwangtae and Meoktae have gained popularity as convenient and healthy side dishes and snacks, sales of processed Hwangtae products increased by 20.2% in 2020 compared to the previous year, and from the beginning of this year until the 11th, sales grew by 63.3% compared to the same period last year, maintaining double-digit growth.

Processed Hwangtae products were not initially spotlighted as side dishes. Hwangtae was traditionally regarded as an ingredient used in its original form, such as in Hwangtae hangover soup and Hwangtaechae salad.

However, as the time customers spend at home increased, so did the time spent drinking at home, leading them to seek healthy side dish products. As a result, Lotte Mart analyzed that interest grew in products made by processing Hwangtae, a high-protein food with protein accounting for 60% of its total composition, into side dishes.

In line with this trend, various processed Hwangtae products have been released. These include 'Sonjil Meoktae,' which contains a whole Meoktae, 'Meoktaechae' grilled over direct fire, and 'Moist Meoktae' aged in soybean water.

Starting from the 20th, Lotte Mart will offer processed Hwangtae products for home drinkers at all stores. Representative products include 'Beer Sweet and Salty Sonjil Meoktae (140g)' priced at 6,980 won, 'Crispy Meoktaechae grilled over direct fire (180g),' 'Direct Fire Grilled Meoktae (180g),' and 'Moistly Grilled Meoktae (150g),' each priced at 9,900 won.

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