Sales of Ready-to-Eat Meals in July Increase Sixfold Amid Heatwave, Social Distancing, and Soaring Prices

Soaring Prices, Ready Meals Cheaper Than Ingredients
'Jipkok Saenghwal' Prolonged... Meal Kit Sales Increase by 300%

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] Sales of Home Meal Replacements (HMR) are increasing. Due to the prolonged 'stay-at-home' lifestyle caused by the heatwave and strengthened social distancing, and soaring prices, the price of convenient meals has become cheaper than the cost of ingredients.

According to related industries on the 9th, sales of related products on Gmarket over the past month (July 4 to August 3) surged more than six times compared to the same period last year. Sales of meal kits containing ingredients needed for cooking increased by 360% compared to the same period last year. ‘Fresh Easy Mille-Feuille Nabe’ has been a consistently popular product since its brand launch.

Demand for foods that require no separate cooking process has increased. Cupbap (cup rice) and rice bowl dishes, perfect for simple meals, and cereals increased in sales by 104% and 27%, respectively. CJ CheilJedang’s recently launched instant nutritious rice pot, Hetban Sotban, exceeded approximately 300,000 cumulative sales within a month of its release. Among canned foods, side dish canned goods rose by 8%.

Frozen and easy-to-cook foods, which are easy to store and prepare, are also gaining attention. Sales of salads and tortillas/vietnamese spring rolls, which can be enjoyed lightly, rose by 43% and 33%, respectively. Sales of salad dressings (16%), which go well with salads, also increased. Pizza (10%) and curry/jjajang (22%) also showed an upward trend.

Snacks such as cookies and bread, which can be easily enjoyed at home, are also popular. Sales of raw ingredient snacks surged by 520%, and ice cream increased by 4%. Among dried fruits, dried figs and pyeonggang (119%), and dried bananas (26%) showed an upward trend. Sales of traditional snacks such as glutinous rice cakes and ddukbokki (11%), and hangwa (traditional Korean sweets) and traditional snack sets (19%) also increased. Demand for health-conscious grape juice (14%), pumpkin juice (4%), and apple juice (45%) also rose.

A Gmarket official explained, “As more people prepare meals at home, products that require short cooking times and can be eaten without burden are gaining popularity,” adding, “With recent strengthened social distancing, sales of various convenient foods are expected to continue increasing.”

The food industry expects the home meal replacement market to grow this year as well. According to the Korea Rural Economic Institute, the home meal replacement market size is expected to increase from 4.2 trillion won in 2019 to 7 trillion won this year.

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