Alternative Meat, Vegan Ice Cream... Active Launch of Sustainable Food Products

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] As 'meaning out,' the expression of personal values through consumption, becomes more active, the number of consumers seeking sustainable food is also increasing. Various products are being launched one after another, ranging from animal welfare certified products to beverages and snacks targeting vegans (vegetarians).

Lotte Confectionery's Naturru recently released the vegan ice cream "Naturru Chocolate Almond Bar." This new bar-type product follows two pint products, the vegan "Cashew Vanilla" and "Pure Coconut," introduced in May last year. It is a response to consumer requests for expanding the ice cream lineup. The new product uses purely plant-based ingredients and features a soft chocolate ice cream coated with crispy dark chocolate, offering a rich chocolate flavor and a combination of different textures.

Jung Food's plant-based health drink "Light Minute" has recently obtained vegan certification from the Korea Vegan Certification Institute. Following the acquisition of vegan certification for three products, including "Real Nature-filled One Meal Raw Food," last year, Jung Food now holds a total of five vegan-certified products with the addition of the two Light Minute products.

As the plant-based alternative meat market rapidly grows, products containing plant-based alternative meat are also gaining popularity. Nongshim recently launched the cup noodle "Renjittaeng Ttukbulmyeon." The toppings made from alternative meat have a taste and texture similar to real bulgogi, and in a pre-tasting survey, the soft texture was highly praised for closely resembling actual bulgogi.

Products using alternative eggs are also being released one after another. SPC Group's Paris Baguette launched products using the plant-based alternative egg "Just Egg." Just Egg is an alternative egg developed by the U.S.-based plant-based food company "Eat Just," which recreates the form and texture of eggs by adding turmeric to protein extracted from mung beans.

Animal welfare products are also attracting significant consumer interest. Harim recently released "Nature Silrok Animal Welfare IFF Chicken." Hyundai Green Food received positive responses from consumers by launching the country's first "Animal Welfare Hanwoo Gift Set" last Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving).

Meanwhile, according to the industry, the current domestic vegetarian population is about 1.5 million, and the vegan market size is expected to grow by about 10% annually, reaching 116 trillion won by 2030.

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