NEWS IN NEWS

N ews in News

Focus on ‘K-Food Master Challenge’ in Thailand

In Thailand, where Korean dramas are enjoying explosive popularity, the ‘K-Food Master Challenge’ went viral on social network, and Korean agricultural products are earning great attention from locals. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation(aT) held a cooking show challenge under the theme of ‘Eating’ from 13 August to 30 September, thanks to the exponential attention of the first cooking show challenge with the theme of ‘Cooking’. The second challenge promotion features the famous Thai entertainers Pat and Nicky to run a series of amusing game activities by using favorite Korean agricultural products like ‘Stuff shine muscat at a mouthful’ and ‘Eat tteokbokki blindfolded’. It’s definitely pleasing to the eat and has increased the fun to watch. In order to actively target the new generation of ‘Fun+Consumers’ who value experience, the Ministry plans to spread creative contents online that accelerate to enjoy Korean food more.

K-Food in Japanese Restaurants are Well-Liked

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation(aT) has operated a pop-up restaurant using Korean ingredients in Asakusa, a symbolic tourist destination in Tokyo, Japan from 1 to 30 August associated with a restaurant called Rurubu Kitchen. The Rurubu Kitchen is a renowned restaurant for developing and offering menus cooked with major Japanese specialties. This time, menus tailored to the characteristics of Japanese consumers was created through a culinary expert using fresh agricultural products from Korea, which received favorable responses. At the event, menus using paprika, kimchi, and ginseng, the key export items to Japan, and sesame leaves which recently have been registered as functional foods in Japan, were presented under the theme of ‘K-Food of Beauty and Health’. Moreover, Korean melons and dried persimmons were provided to customers who visited the restaurant for tasting to inform the diversity of Korean ingredients.

Exports of Tofu Quadrupled in the First Half

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation(aT), the export volume of tofu until this June was 3,306 tons, a four-fold increase from 838 tons in the same period last year. The export amount also reached USD 5.06 million, an increase of about three times from USD 1.7 million in the same period last year. Overseas demand for tofu is in highly coveted for salads and toppings. In particular, this year, as interest in functional foods has risen due to COVID-19, such as immunity improvement, the fact that tofu is rich in plant protein fascinates the consumers in the United States. In fact, 75% of all tofu exports are shipped to the United States. The aT has analyzed that the growth in tofu exports was mainly because the food industry was actively engaged in overseas exports by closely grasping the market trends such as the surge in demand for functional foods and vegetable proteins in the global food market. An aT official said, “Health foods like tofu are receiving great attention due to COVID-19. We will try to discover agricultural products for exports in line with the consumption trends in the foreign market.”

Achieved Export Consultation of USD 36 million at ECRM Vendor Fair

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation(aT) announced that they have participated in the ECRM Vendor Fair arranged online in the United States, and achieved export consultations worth of USD 36 million. This expo has been hosted by the U.S. marketing company called Efficient Collaborative Retail Marketing(ECRM). You can meet more than 100 powerful buyers from food, snacks, drinks, and ethnic foods. This year, it was held online due to the COVID-19. The aT has thoroughly prepared for non-face-to-face online export consultations, and carefully selected 8 K-Food specialized vendors with local distribution networks in the U.S. They intensively promoted products for enhancing immunity, including kimchi, red ginseng, and HMR(home meals) products tailored to the post COVID-19. In particular, cup noodle products that localized Korean ramyeon with the flavor of a famous local Hispanic sauce were sold in more than 700 stores of Safeway, the largest retailer in the United States.