Eco-friendly Food Ingredients and Alternative Meat Rising... Shinsegae Food Launches 'Better Meat'

5 Years of Shinsegae Food Technology Development
Debuted at Jeonchuk Starbucks Store
Find 'Gogi' in the Photo Below

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] As plant-based meat rapidly rises as an eco-friendly food ingredient and gains attention as the future food source of the food industry, Shinsegae Food has entered the alternative meat market with its self-developed technology.

Shinsegae Food Enters Alternative Meat Market

On the 28th, Shinsegae Food launched the alternative meat brand ‘Better meat’ created through proprietary technology. Shinsegae Food judged that entering the alternative meat market, which has high growth potential, is necessary to become a sustainable food company, and began research on alternative meat in 2016. The product released after five years is a pork alternative meat ham cold cut (sliced ham). Shinsegae Food determined that pork, which accounts for the largest share of actual consumer meat consumption, has the highest growth potential going forward.

While the domestic alternative meat market is mostly dominated by beef alternatives, consumers actually consume pork the most. According to the Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI)’s analysis of ‘Changes in Meat Consumption Behavior and Response Tasks,’ over 20 years from 2000 to 2019, the share of pork in per capita meat consumption in Korea was the highest at 49.1%, followed by chicken (27.1%) and beef (23.8%).

Uses Only Pure Plant-Based Ingredients

The cold cuts use soy protein extracted from soybeans and plant-based oils to enhance the umami and flavor of meat. The unique elasticity and chewy texture of ham were achieved by utilizing dietary fiber and polysaccharides extracted from seaweed. The characteristic red color of meat was created using beet and paprika. Garlic, pepper, nutmeg, and ginger were used to eliminate the distinctive fishy smell of soy protein. Shinsegae Food has also filed a patent application for the ‘technology to replicate meat texture using plant-based ingredients’ used in the production of Better meat cold cuts.

The cold cuts were developed in three varieties: ‘Bologna,’ a soft traditional Italian ham; ‘Schinken,’ a German traditional ham with a blend of various spices; and ‘Mortadella,’ a savory Italian traditional ham. Shinsegae Food developed a ‘Plant Ham & Arugula Sandwich’ containing Bologna cold cuts, which will be introduced nationwide at Starbucks stores starting on the 29th.

Song Hyun-seok, CEO of Shinsegae Food, said, "Better meat is a food content presented with Shinsegae Food’s ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) management commitment to contribute to human health, animal welfare, and the global environment by offering alternative meat that is better than real meat."

Alternative Meat to Account for 60% of Meat Market by 2040

The domestic alternative meat market size is estimated at about 20 billion KRW by the food industry, but its growth potential is higher than any other sector. According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), the global alternative meat market size is expected to grow from 5.25 trillion KRW in 2019 to 6.7 trillion KRW in 2023.

According to a recent report by the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) International Trade and Commerce Research Institute, alternative meat is expected to account for 30% of the global meat market by 2030 and more than 60% by 2040, surpassing the size of the existing meat market.

Domestic food companies are also paying attention to the alternative meat market and expanding related businesses. Dongwon F&B signed an exclusive supply contract with the U.S. alternative meat specialist Beyond Meat in 2019 and introduced alternative meat sausages in Korea. Pulmuone is conducting plant-based protein development projects divided into six areas: high-protein foods, low-carbohydrate foods, meat, beverages and drinkable foods, fermented milk, and convenience foods. Nongshim launched the vegan brand Veggie Garden’s ‘See-through Hearty Dumplings’ earlier last month.

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