During Summer Vacation, 'Meokping'... Meal Kits Sell Well Among Camping Enthusiasts

Easy-to-Cook Ready Meals at Affordable Prices
Refrigerated Meal Kit Sales from 8th to 13th
CU Sees 40.1% Increase Compared to Previous Week

Fresh Easy's 'Camping Pocha Kimchi Fish Cake Udon Hot Pot'.

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] Riding the camping craze, more people are seeking meal kits that can be easily prepared at camping sites. Recently, with dining-out prices soaring significantly, the relatively affordable prices have also contributed to their popularity.

According to the distribution industry on the 18th, convenience store CU analyzed product sales by region from the 8th to the 13th and found that sales of refrigerated meal kits, popular among campers mainly in major tourist spots, jumped 40.1% compared to the previous week. Homeplus also saw meal kit sales increase by about 40% year-on-year last month.

From barbecue, an essential for camping, to noodle dishes like cold noodles that pair well with meat, and soup dishes perfect as drinking snacks, recently vegan products for vegetarians have also been launched.

Fresh Easy sells camping products such as the ‘Heukdonga Camping Set and Lobster & Don Mahawk Camping Set Meal Kits’ and the ‘Camping Pocha Meal Kit’ in two varieties. These products saw an 80% increase in sales in May, when camping became full-fledged as the weather warmed, and continue to be popular.

Noodle meal kits that go well with meat are also popular. Sempio released ‘Saemine Kitchen Water Kimchi Seasoning,’ which contains minced garlic, onion, fish sauce, and other seasonings needed for kimchi in one pack, allowing you to make kimchi by just adding water. It is highly popular for easily making water kimchi noodles at camping sites. Depending on preference, adding red pepper powder allows it to be enjoyed as clean Nabak kimchi. SPC Samlip’s recently launched ‘Haimeon’ cold knife-cut noodles in three varieties are also popular among campers.

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT) Food Industry Statistical Information, the domestic meal kit market has been rapidly growing since the spread of COVID-19. It is expected to grow from 2 billion KRW in 2017 to 725 billion KRW by 2025. A distribution industry official said, "Meal kit products, which have so far focused only on convenience, are evolving into premium types as ‘Meokping (eating and drinking camping)’ becomes a summer vacation trend. Especially, products that allow simple preparation of menus difficult to encounter outdoors are being released one after another, so the popularity of meal kit products in the domestic camping market is expected to continue for some time."

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