"Only Top 3% Hanwoo Selected"... Shinsegae Department Store Strengthens Criteria for Ultra-Premium Gift '5Star'

Annual Growth Rate Exceeding Double Digits

Luxury Korean Beef The No.9 image. (Photo by Shinsegae Department Store)

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chunhan] Shinsegae Department Store announced on the 21st that it will significantly strengthen the standards for its ultra-premium gift set ‘5 Star’ for this year’s Lunar New Year.

5 Star is an ultra-premium holiday gift set created by Shinsegae, awarded only to gifts that pass strict criteria including discovering renowned production areas nationwide as well as production, cultivation, and processing. These products have seen double-digit sales growth annually, and the 5 Star Korean beef gift set has recorded a growth rate of over 30% in the past three years.

The marbling (intramuscular fat) standard for 5 Star Korean beef will be raised by one grade from the previous 7?9 levels to 8?9 levels. The marbling score is evaluated by the Livestock Products Quality Evaluation Institute based on marbling content, texture, maturity, and other factors, rated on a scale from 1 to 9. In particular, Korean beef with the highest marbling grade 9 belongs to the top 3% and is frequently used in luxury hotels and high-end restaurants. Shinsegae 5 Star’s 1++ high-quality Korean beef is characterized by a softer flavor and a unique deep taste compared to regular Korean beef.

For seafood, they present extra-large cutlassfish and croaker caught in the clean Jeju sea. Only cutlassfish over 1 meter in length and croaker over 28 cm, which are in the top 5% of auction quantities at the fish market, are included. Additionally, processing is carried out only in facilities certified with 100% HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points), and the products undergo more than three hygiene inspections to ensure safety.

For fresh fruits such as apples, pears, and Shine Muscat grapes, the sugar content standard is raised by 1?2 Brix compared to before. In the case of Shine Muscat, the total weight is increased by 50g from the previous amount, and a new color grade standard of level 4 or higher, which is a top grade, is applied.

A Shinsegae Department Store official said, “This Lunar New Year, we have strengthened the products of Shinsegae’s representative premium gift set 5 Star while freezing prices. We will continue to introduce premium gifts with differentiated ultra-gap by discovering renowned production areas.”

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