Instant Noodles Lead, Health Functional Foods Push... This Year's K-Food+ Exports Up 5.7%

Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Announces October K-Food+ Export Figures
K-Food Up 5.0%, Agricultural Industry Up 7.8%

Driven by strong exports of instant noodles and health functional foods, K-Food Plus (+) exports increased by nearly 6% from January to October this year.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on November 7, 2025, that the cumulative export value of K-Food+ as of October 2025 reached 11.24 billion dollars, up 5.7% from the previous year. K-Food+ encompasses agri-foods as well as agricultural industry products such as veterinary medicines, pesticides, and fertilizers.

From January to October, K-Food exports amounted to 8.59 billion dollars, a 5.0% increase compared to the same period last year. The regions with the highest export growth rates were the Middle East (GCC, 20.4%), the European Union (including the UK, 14.8%), and North America (13.9%).

Between July and October, while export growth to the United States slowed (0.6%), the Middle East (23.5%) and Greater China (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, 7.7%) showed strong growth. In the Middle East, exports of ice cream (80.7%), beverages (80.3%), and sauces (33.9%) recorded high growth rates. In Greater China, exports of instant noodles (62.9%), other processed foods (19.4%), and grapes (122.7%) increased significantly.

The major items that saw an increase in exports of over 30 million dollars between July and October compared to the same period last year were instant noodles (21.7%), other processed foods (including health functional foods, 13.6%), processed coffee (21.3%), kimchi (6.4%), grapes (50.9%), and ice cream (22.1%). The continued global popularity of spicy stir-fried noodles, marketing leveraging popular K-content targeting younger consumers, and the expansion of both online and offline distribution channels led to significant year-on-year export growth of instant noodles to China, CIS countries, Japan, and the United States. Exports of health functional foods and similar products increased as awareness and evaluation of the excellence of K-health functional foods, including inner beauty products, spread in line with the global wellness trend.

For kimchi, the year-on-year export growth rate to Japan, the main export destination, increased slightly by 1.9 percentage points compared to the first half (3.7%), while Canada and Taiwan also showed high export growth rates. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs attributed this to the growing global interest in health, the Korean Wave, and the expanding recognition of Korean kimchi as a superior fermented food.

As of the end of October, the cumulative export value in the agricultural industry sector reached 2.64 billion dollars, up 7.8% from the same period last year. Exports increased evenly across major items such as veterinary medicines, pesticides, fertilizers, and seeds. Veterinary medicines, including lysine (a nutritional supplement for animals), chemical preparations, and animal medical devices, drove the growth in performance. In particular, exports of lysine expanded significantly as demand grew in Europe to replace Chinese-made lysine.

Pesticide exports increased steadily, mainly to Asian markets such as Vietnam, China, and Indonesia, due to consistent demand for finished products, and the export base was strengthened as multinational companies increased their domestic contract manufacturing volumes. For seeds, exports of high-quality, stable Korean chili pepper seeds rose by more than 34% year-on-year, mainly to the United States and China.

Kim Jungwook, Director General for Agricultural Innovation Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, stated, "Despite external uncertainties, our exports are increasing thanks to the excellent quality competitiveness of our products. The government will do its utmost to achieve this year's K-Food+ export target of 14 billion dollars by the end of the year by strengthening support for export companies through policy funding, resolving export difficulties related to logistics and customs clearance, and expanding global marketing linked to store promotions and the Korean Wave."

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