Two Years of COVID-19, Just Watching 'Samshisekki'... How the Pandemic Changed Food Culture

Sandwiches for 'Ajeom'
Flexible Meals Increase with More Remote Work
Solo Dining, Takeout, and Delivery Preferred at Work

Healthy Salads for Dinner
Ordering Food from Online Markets
Many Also Seek Nutrient-Rich Porridge

Shinsegae Food Balsamic Pumpkin Ricotta Salad

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Hye-seon] Office worker Kim Jin-woo (39) has been working from home for two years since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Kim wakes up at 8 a.m., drinks a glass of milk, then turns on his computer to start work. He usually eats a sandwich for brunch (breakfast + lunch) and prefers simple meals that minimize food waste for dinner. He orders groceries from an online market once every three days.

On the 29th, as COVID-19 became a part of our daily lives, eating habits changed. Instead of three regular meals a day, people eat flexibly according to the situation, and with the expansion of convenience foods, they focus more on setting the table than cooking. The eating habits of seniors in their 50s and 60s have also changed significantly, with many ordering home meal replacements (HMR) online.

The boundary of three meals a day has disappeared

According to the Korea Rural Economic Institute, the proportion of households that increased their number of meals this year was 32.2%, up 10.7% from a year ago. With longer time spent at home due to telecommuting and online classes, people tend to eat more flexibly according to the situation rather than sticking to three fixed meals a day.

Sales of salads produced by Shinsegae Food and sold at E-Mart increased by 57% compared to the same period last year. Salads with premium ingredients such as lentils, quinoa, roasted nuts, and black olives sold more than twice as much as regular salads.

Sales of sandwiches sold at E-Mart and Traders also increased by 132% and 50%, respectively, compared to the same period last year. As the ‘eating alone’ culture took root not only at home but also at workplaces due to COVID-19, more consumers purchased sandwiches that are easy to pack and enjoy via delivery.

The number of people choosing porridge instead of meals also increased. CJ CheilJedang’s Bibigo porridge surpassed cumulative sales of 230 billion KRW three years after its launch.

A well-prepared table is home-cooked meal

The concept of home-cooked meals has also changed. Even if not cooked directly, a well-prepared table is increasingly recognized as a home-cooked meal. Along with this, as more consumers seek to reduce meal preparation time and increase time for themselves, cases of looking for foods that allow easier meals have increased.

Representative convenience food, CJ CheilJedang’s Hetbahn, has continuously grown since COVID-19. Hetbahn sales were 486 billion KRW in 2019, 560 billion KRW last year, and are expected to exceed 680 billion KRW this year.

CJ CheilJedang’s Bibigo rice balls sales from January to September this year doubled compared to the same period last year. Boneless grilled fish sales increased by 20% compared to the previous year. Consumers who used to enjoy restaurant menus are increasingly making them at home. Meal kit specialist Fresh Easy is expected to exceed 200 billion KRW in sales this year, a 57% increase from last year.

CJ CheilJedang Boneless Grilled Fish

Even 50s and 60s buy convenience foods online

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation and the Korea Rural Economic Institute, the HMR market is expected to grow from 4 trillion KRW last year to over 5 trillion KRW next year.

According to the ‘2021 Korean Consumer Life Index’ survey released by the Korea Consumer Agency, 8,207 out of 10,000 people (82.1%) have experienced purchasing goods through online channels at least once. This means 8 out of 10 Koreans have experienced online shopping. This is double compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic.

In particular, the proportion of respondents aged 50 and older who have used online shopping at least once has increased significantly. For those aged 60 and above, the figure was only 5.6% in the 2019 survey but rose more than tenfold to 57.6% this year. For those in their 50s, it increased about 2.6 times from 29.5% to 79.2%.

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