Consumer Agency Recommends "Unit Price Labeling for Convenience Store Ready-to-Eat Foods"
[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] The Korea Consumer Agency announced on the 28th that it has recommended improvements after investigating the distribution status of ready-to-eat foods and meal kits, finding that convenience store chains do not display unit prices per 100g.
The Consumer Agency conducted a survey on the sales prices and unit price display of rice, porridge, soup, stew, rice bowl sauces, soups, and easy-cooking sets (meal kits) sold at large supermarkets, convenience stores, and online price comparison sites, leading to this conclusion.
All products (64 items) surveyed at large supermarkets displayed unit prices, mostly using the 100g unit. In contrast, convenience stores, which have the second-highest sales of ready-to-eat foods in the retail market after large supermarkets, did not display unit prices.
The Consumer Agency emphasized the need for unit price display to facilitate convenient price comparison for consumers. In a survey on consumption patterns and perceptions of ready-to-eat foods, consumers recognized unit price display as useful for price comparison, scoring 3.88 out of 5.
In fact, when comparing the same products across distribution channels, price comparison sites offered the lowest prices, while convenience stores were up to 51.5% more expensive than large supermarkets. The Consumer Agency stressed, "Since there are items with significant price differences depending on distribution channels such as convenience stores that do not display unit prices, careful price comparison is necessary when purchasing products."
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The Consumer Agency stated, "Based on this survey, we plan to recommend to relevant authorities the designation of ready-to-eat food items for unit price display and request cooperation from distribution channels that do not display unit prices to promote unit price display." They also urged consumers, "Even for the same product, prices vary depending on distribution channels such as large supermarkets, convenience stores, and price comparison sites, so consumers should check the unit price display before purchasing products."
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