Korean food makers set eyes on Europe with vegan, zero-sugar foods

PARIS – South Korean food companies such as Pulmuone Corp., Lotte Wellfood Co., Ottogi Corp. and Maeil Daries Co. are gearing up to expand into Europe with not only traditional Korean food, but also new recipes for vegetarians and dieters. At SLAL Paris 2024, an international food exhibition held from Oct. 19 to 23, 118 South Korean food companies opened booths to showcase their signature and innovative foods at the 1,900-square-meter Korean Pavillion in Paris-Nord Villepinte, a conventional center measuring 257,000 square meters.The number of participating Korean companies in the trade show increased by 20, compared with two years before.They attracted foreign food wholesalers and Korean drama enthusiasts who wanted to taste the food they saw in Korean TV series.“Korean dramas such as The Glory and the Queen of Tears are fueling the popularity of Korean food,” said Gabriel Albu, a Romanian food wholesaler, browsing at the Korean Pavillion. For the first time, he tasted Kimbap he saw from The Glory at a Korean food exhibition booth and said it was neither salty nor greasy so it would be a big hit in Romanian supermarkets. Kimbap, or gimbap, is a seaweed-wrapped rice roll with various vegetables and marinated meat. Some 7,500 food makers and distribution companies from around 130 countries unveiled their new foods at the biennial event that marked its 60th anniversary this year. The exposition is estimated to have drawn about 285,000 visitors.An official of Suhyup, the Korean acronym of the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives, said a dish made with abalone, a luxury food ingredient in France, grilled in butter was the most popular among foreign visitors to its booth.“There were so many [would-be] buyers that I used up my business cards today alone, which would have taken three days in previous years,” he said.The Korean Pavilion was crowded all day long on the first day of the event. “I visited this expo to see the latest Korean snack food trends and if there would be new Korean snack foods to be introduced in London supermarkets,” said Arthur Grine, a British food buyer.He is already familiar with Korean street food such as tteobokki and Kimbap and said a Korean street food restaurant in Soho, central London, is full every day.Tteokbokki is a dish made of rice cakes simmered in hot and red chili sauce. VEGAN, ZERO-SUGAR FOODSSix Korean food companies, including Lotte Wellfood, Maeil Daries, Sempio Foods Co., Our Home Co., Ottogi Corp and Pulmuone Co., made it onto the list of candidates for innovative product awards with vegan and zero-sugar foods.Pulmuone showcased six vegan food products, including tofu tenders with the favor of chicken tenders; soybean noodels; and soft tofu tortilla. They are among innovation award candidates at the event.Maeil Daries, a first-time participant in the trade show, introduced vegan food made of oats and soybean milk, as well as protein drinks. It also served traditional Korean desserts such as frozen sikhye, a sweet Korean drink and prebiotic tteok, a rice cake.“Leveraging this SIAL, we will accelerate our venture into Europe,” said a Maeil Daries official. “In Europe, where environmental, social, and governance is a key management philosophy, Korean food is becoming mainstream,” said, Moon Junghoon, an innovation award judge for the food exhibition. Moon is a professor at the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rule Development of Seoul National University.By Hun-Hyoung [email protected] Yeonhee Kim edited this article