Korea’s food processing sector relies on imported inputs

USDA/FAS’s annual report on Korea’s food processing ingredients sector highlights that  Korea’s food processing industry relies heavily on imports to fulfill its food and agricultural needs in order to manufacture a wide variety of food and beverage products. Given this demand, there is ample opportunity for imported agricultural products for processing use including bulk commodities such as soybeans and wheat. U.S. food is perceived as equal or superior quality relative to competitors.

According to 2024 Food and Restaurant Industry Outlook, “Health & Wellness” was selected as the keyword for this year’s  food industry trend in Korea. This trend can be found in the low-calorie, high-protein, high-fiber movement, zero-sugar movement in noodle, snack, and beverage market.

The Korean market reflects global food trends. Korean consumers are becoming more affluent and health conscious, causing more consumers  to focus on quality over price. The rise in single-person households and the increase in women’s participation in the workforce are influencing food purchasing patterns. Consumers want convenient and good value food products that suit their lifestyle. At the same time, consumers continue to seek healthier and higher quality food options.

Major food processing companies have launched their own vegetarian product brands, are investing more on research and development, and are opening vegetarian restaurants. To match the growing global demand, pasta made from soybeans has been released and is expected to grow to $2.4 billion by 2025. In Korea, soybeans and tofu noodles have been launched as alternative noodle products and are attracting much attention.