MFDS Develops Hanwoo Beef Bone Soup with Reduced Sodium and Choco Sand with Lower Sugar Content

Development of 15 "Less Salty, Less Sweet" Products
Expanding Healthy Food Choices for the Public

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on October 29 that it has developed seven types of processed foods, including Hanwoo beef bone soup with reduced sodium and sugar, as well as eight types of ready-to-eat foods, such as banquet noodles, to promote healthier eating habits among the public.

Sodium- and sugar-reduced Allbox's "Clear Hanwoo Beef Bone Soup" (left) and Agricultural Corporation Kakao Five's "Brown Rice Chip Choco Sand." Ministry of Food and Drug Safety

The Ministry is pursuing a support project for the development of reduced-sodium and reduced-sugar products targeting processed and ready-to-eat foods, with the aim of revitalizing the production and distribution of such products and expanding consumer choices for foods that are less salty and less sweet.

This year, considering that middle-aged and older adults consume large amounts of sodium through soups and stews, and that sugar intake among young girls exceeds recommended levels, the Ministry selected meat extract-based processed foods such as soups and stews, as well as chocolate-processed products, as items eligible for development support.

The newly developed products include Hanwoo beef bone soup, which uses less sodium and is flavored with ingredients such as onions and radish, resulting in a 53% reduction in sodium compared to similar products from the same company, and choco sand, which contains 55% less sugar than the average sugar content found in distributed food products by reducing the use of sugar.

These products may be labeled with phrases such as "50% less sodium than the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety average" or "reduced sugar" to help consumers easily recognize that they are reduced-sodium or reduced-sugar products.

The newly developed soups, stews, and chocolate-processed products will be introduced to consumers at the "Less Salty, Less Sweet Reduced Products and Menu Promotion Hall" within the 20th Seoul International Food Industry Exhibition, held on October 29. In addition, about 50 other reduced-sodium and reduced-sugar products developed by the industry will also be exhibited.

Oh Yu-kyung, Commissioner of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, stated, "It is important to promote the production and distribution of reduced-sodium and reduced-sugar products so that people can make healthier choices. In particular, we plan to continue providing technical support to small and medium-sized enterprises that lack the necessary technology for reduction."

Meanwhile, the Ministry annually publishes "A Mild Table Our Body Wants," which introduces reduced-sodium and reduced-sugar recipes to help people practice healthy eating habits at home. This year, the fourteenth edition of the series was released under the theme of "Reduced Sugar Snack Recipes."

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