Korean food makers set sights on Europe with vegan, sugar-free offerings

PARIS – South Korean food companies such as Pulmuone Corp., Lotte Wellfood Co., Ottogi Corp. and Maeil Dairies Co. are gearing up for their expansion into Europe with not only traditional Korean food but also new recipes for vegetarians and dieters.

At SIAL Paris 2024, an international food exhibition held from Oct. 19 to 23, 118 South Korean food companies opened booths to showcase signature and innovative foods in the 1,900-square-meter Korean Pavillion at 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 wanting to taste the food they see in Korean TV series.

“Korean drama series 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 the kimbap he'd seen in The Glory and said it was neither salty nor greasy so would surely be a big hit in Romanian supermarkets.

Kimbap, or gimbap, is a seaweed-wrapped rice roll filled with various vegetables and marinated meat.

Some 7,500 food makers and distribution companies from around 130 countries unveiled new dishes at the biennial event, which 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 delicacy 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 all my business cards today, which would have taken three days in previous years,” he said.

The Korean Pavilion was crowded all day 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 always full.

Tteokbokki is a dish made of rice cakes simmered in hot red chili sauce. 

VEGAN, SUGAR-FREE FOOD

Six Korean food companies, including Lotte Wellfood, DairiesDaries, 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 food.

Pulmuone showcased six vegan food products, including tofu tenders with the favor of chicken tenders; soybean noodles; and soft tofu tortillas. They are among the event's innovation award candidates.

Maeil Dairies, a first-time participant in the trade show, introduced vegan offerings 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 Dairies official. 

“In Europe, where environmental, social and governance issues are key in management philosophy, Korean food is becoming mainstream,” said, Moon Junghoon, an innovation award judge for the food exhibition.

Moon is a professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rule Development at Seoul National University.

Write to Hun-Hyoung Ha at hhh@hankyung.com
 


Yeonhee Kim edited this article.