CU Launches Vegetarian Convenience Meals Using 'Daechi Gyeran' Alternative Eggs

Development of 'Chaeran' Using Plant-Based Raw Materials

Alternative egg vegetarian convenience food.
[Photo by BGF Retail]

On the 25th, CU announced that it will launch a vegetarian convenience meal series made from alternative eggs, following alternative meat and seafood.

The newly introduced products include three types: Vegetarian Chinese Set Meal Lunchbox, Vegetarian Basil-Filled Sandwich, and Vegetarian Chaeran Mayo Inari Sushi. The name "Chaeran" reflects the meaning of vegetarian eggs. Chaeran was developed using plant-based ingredients such as mung beans, green beans, pumpkin, and soybeans, based on the technology of a food tech specialized company. It is characterized by closely replicating the egg white and yolk, as well as the unique taste and texture of real eggs.

The Vegetarian Chinese Set Meal Lunchbox is the first Chinese menu item introduced in vegetarian convenience meals. It features fried rice made with alternative eggs mixed with vegetarian Sichuan black bean sauce. It also includes plant-based sweet and sour dumplings, offering a generous and satisfying composition.

CU’s best-selling products, Egg Mayo Sandwich and Inari Sushi, have also been reborn as 100% plant-based foods using alternative eggs. The Vegetarian Basil-Filled Sandwich is a healthy sandwich topped with alternative eggs on Roman mill whole wheat bread, generously spread with basil soy-neze made from soybeans. The Vegetarian Chaeran Mayo Inari Sushi is prepared by scrambling alternative eggs and flavored with soy-neze and vegetarian wasabi mayonnaise.

Since 2019, CU has been continuously releasing over 40 types of vegetarian convenience meals, from lunchboxes to pasta, after launching the first vegetarian brand in convenience stores. This series has received favorable reviews for its taste and texture comparable to meat, achieving sales of 5.5 million units to date.

A BGF Retail official said, “Through the vegetarian series, CU is enhancing both the quality and diversity of convenience store foods and leading new food culture trends. We plan to continuously introduce new products that meet changing customer tastes, values, and lifestyles.”

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