"Ugly but Okay"... Large Supermarkets See Popularity of B-Grade Agricultural Products

Small or Imperfect Fruits and Vegetables 30% Cheaper
Lotte Mart, Win-Win Series Sales Up 300%

A customer is purchasing Sangsaeng plums at Lotte Mart Suwon branch.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chunhan] As grocery prices rise sharply, more people are seeking B-grade agricultural products at large supermarkets. Although these are called "ugly fruits and vegetables" due to their small size or blemished appearance, they are popular among consumers because they are about 30% cheaper than market prices.

According to Lotte Mart on the 30th, sales of the "Win-Win Fruits and Vegetables" from the 1st to the 28th of this month increased by 300% compared to the same period last year. Lotte Mart operates the Win-Win series products to help resolve the surplus inventory of farms. Currently, they sell about 10 types of Win-Win fruits such as chamoe, jadu, and apples, and about 10 types of Win-Win vegetables such as potatoes, onions, and napa cabbage. This year, the nationwide blooming period for jadu was delayed, and due to drought, the proportion of small-sized fruit flesh increased. As a result, the proportion of small-sized fruit flesh, which accounted for about 15% of the total cultivation volume, rose to 25-30%, and many farms gave up harvesting considering rising labor and fuel costs. Lotte Mart directly persuaded the farms to plan the products and was able to offer Win-Win jadu at prices 25% cheaper than regular products.

Homeplus is selling B-grade products under the name "Matnani Agricultural Products" at about a 30% discount compared to regular prices. At stores nationwide, customers can find five types of fruits such as apples, tomatoes, and tangerines, and eight types of vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers, and radishes. These products are classified as out of grade due to shape and size but have no issues with freshness or taste quality. Sales of Matnani vegetables increased by 76% from the 14th to the 28th of this month compared to the previous month. Emart sells "Ban-jeon Fruits," which have the same taste as regular products but have blemishes on the surface. Ban-jeon chamoe is available from May to August, and Ban-jeon Shine Muscat from August to December. Sales of Ban-jeon chamoe increased by 58% from the 1st of last month to the 28th of this month compared to the same period last year.

Major online malls are also expanding B-grade products. 11st has been operating the "Uglybly" brand since April 2020, which gathers agricultural products with blemishes or uneven shapes and colors during cultivation. They sell 29 items seasonally, including mini pumpkin, tangerines, Kingsberry, maesil, potatoes, and hallabong. The cumulative number of purchasing members exceeds 200,000, and the cumulative transaction amount reaches 5.3 billion KRW. Gmarket also saw a 40% increase in sales of fresh food products including fallen and ugly fruits from the 1st to the 28th of this month compared to last year.

An official from the distribution industry said, "In the context of rising prices, we are contributing to stabilizing consumer prices by introducing B-grade products together with farms," and added, "We plan to continue discovering products according to crop conditions and provide consumers with affordable seasonal agricultural products."

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